The Pettiest Things We’ve Ever Done Before a Breakup or During a Blow-Up

Here’s the ultimate roundup of our favorite petty moves – 15 hilarious (and clean!) acts of pettiness that readers confessed to before breakups or during a big fight. These stories prove that sometimes, a little mischief is the best medicine. Read on for some laughs!

1. Cupcakes for Days

One time, after a big fight, I decided to bake my boyfriend his “favorite” cupcakes. Only, I decorated each one with tiny pig faces. A sugary-sweet way to say, “Hey, you’re being kind of a pig.” The best part? He never noticed the faces. But every bite was a reminder to me of my subtle revenge!

2. The Mysterious Towel and Sponge Combo

I once went a bit… international with my pettiness. I mailed a white hand towel and a giant sponge to my boyfriend halfway across the world. No card. No note. Nothing. Just the towel and sponge, as if to say, “Clean up your act.” I  got a response, and that’s when he knew I was pretty clever and he needed to get his act together!

3. The Original Post-It Breakup

Way before Sex and the City made the Post-it breakup infamous, I was already onto it. In high school, I left a simple sticky note on my boyfriend’s car that read, “It’s over.” I thought I was being clever and mysterious. Turns out, it was more like… confusing. But hey, I was ahead of my time, right?

Here are even more classic moves from our readers who mastered the art of petty.

4. The Laundry Shuffle

“I was so mad at my boyfriend once that I washed only half his clothes. I put his favorite jeans and shirts in the laundry, but left his socks and underwear out. Nothing like showing up to work in yesterday’s socks, right?”

5. The Overdramatic Playlist

“After one particularly fiery argument, I made a playlist titled ‘Oops, I Did It Again’ and made sure it was the first thing playing in the car. Britney, Taylor, and Adele—back-to-back breakup anthems. He got the hint halfway through ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.’”

6. Salt in the Coffee

“Sometimes, the pettiness is as simple as swapping sugar for salt. After a heated exchange, I made his coffee just the way he liked it… or so he thought. Let’s just say, he had a very salty start to his day.”

7. Phone Background Update

“My favorite move? Changing his phone background to a photo of his least favorite celebrity. Petty, harmless, but oh-so-satisfying every time he opened his phone.” He wasn’t phone savvy enough to figure out how to change it for while.

8. The Petty Password Reset

“After a nasty argument, I logged into his streaming service account and changed the passwords to all his favorite shows to variations of ‘ItsOver123.’ It wasn’t permanent, but let’s just say he had a fun time reconfiguring his nightly binge plans.”

9. The Barely Charged Phone

“Before he left for work, I’d unplug his phone from the charger just as it hit 30%. Not enough to ruin his day, but enough to leave him anxiously watching his battery drop every hour. He still hasn’t figured out why his ‘battery life sucks.’”

10. Sticky Revenge

“In a fit of high school-level pettiness, I bought a pack of heart-shaped stickers and stuck them on everything he’d need for work the next day—his phone, laptop, wallet, keys, water bottle. He walked into the office looking like Valentine’s Day exploded all over him. Petty? Yes. But it made me laugh all day long!”

And just when you thought we’d run out of ideas… here are five more to complete this list of petty perfection.

11. The Snack Sabotage

“I knew he loved his midnight snack – chips and salsa. So, I left the jar in the fridge… after I filled it with hot sauce. Watching him take that first bite was the best closure I could have asked for.”

12. The Silent Alarm

“I set his morning alarm to go off every 15 minutes starting at 4 a.m. He had to be up at 7. It was an all-night symphony of, ‘Why does this thing keep ringing?’”

13. Petty Post-It Party

“Right before a breakup, I went into full Post-It mode and left little sticky notes all over his apartment. ‘Wash your dishes.’ ‘Pick up your clothes.’ ‘Actually listen for once.’ It was like a treasure hunt, but with tiny reminders of everything he didn’t do.”

14. The Mystery Note Drop

“One night, I left an unsigned note on his windshield that just read, ‘You deserve better.’ It had him paranoid for weeks thinking he had a secret admirer. Little did he know, it was my way of letting him know he wasn’t it for me!”

15. The Playlist Makeover

“I got into his music library and retitled all his favorite songs with phrases like, ‘Not Good Enough’ and ‘Let’s Talk About Us.’ Every time he pressed play, it was a subtle reminder that I was done.”

From Post-Its to playlist sabotage, sometimes a little pettiness is all the closure we need. Thanks to everyone who shared these priceless stories – here’s to keeping it funny, harmless, and just the right amount of petty!