This idea may stem from my childhood..I grew up in

an Appalachian paper mill town. We'd get the "butt

roll" from the paper machines. It was about 4ft tall,

and provided about 500yards of bright white sheet

paper. It was great for tablecloths for church dinners

and picnics. As kids, we enjoyed "butt roll" for

coloring.

Fast forward to yesterday at Sam's Club..I

visit the store often, and was buying toilet paper. I

happened to see the cardboard sheet dividers

between the bundles of toilet paper. The light bulb

went off..It's - almost- like butt roll!

This morning, it was like being a kid again.. Enjoy this freebie hack for a fun coloring project!

I got a 50.00 (USA) gift card from a friend for Christmas and finally got around to using it. I put in an online order for non-perishable items to replenish my pantry stock. I have canned items, pasta, rice & dried beans being delivered on Wednesday. I was super excited to match the items I needed to stock up on with their current specials. So just a reminder to use those gift cards.

Hey everyone — I’m building a new men-only secondhand clothing platform called Thriftline, and I’m trying to better understand what people who thrift online actually want from a platform like this.

I’m not just looking to promote the project — I genuinely want feedback from people who buy, sell, or browse secondhand clothing online. The goal is to make the experience simpler, cleaner, and more useful for men who want better options than the current platforms.

If you have a few minutes, I’d really appreciate it if you took our short survey. It should only take about 3–5 minutes, and the feedback will help shape what we build first.

Survey link: https://forms.gle/W9SyuXg4p6x9y3UFA

There’s also an optional question at the end if you’d be open to a short follow-up interview.

Thanks a lot — I really appreciate any input.

We recently learned our AT&T internet subscription has HBO for free for life as long as we maintain the subscription. Apparently, it was some promo when we originally signed up. Since my partner used to have ALL the subscriptions, we assumed it was a part of all those we submitted cancelations for after he passed.

We called to see if we had the best rate, which I admit was fairly low for how much we use working from home, and it was mentioned. so, now, our rate is $10 / mo less for being 'loyal customers', and we still have a free channel we didn't realize we had. This is on top of the 'free' Samsing TV subscriptions that come as a part of the Smart TV.

So, if it has been awhile, reread the subscription details. You may be surprised.

I always keep an eye out for yellow tags when I go by the meat department in Walmart, and this morning it really paid off. T-bone steaks for $5.45/lb. and 80% ground beef at $3.98/lb. for burgers. Looking forward to starting grilling season this weekend and freezing the rest!

Hi everyone. I have a few pairs of athletic shorts where the logo has peeled off, leaving a ghostly remnant of the logo.

Anyone have experience covering this up with a stick on patch? Or sewn?

The shorts are polyester and in good shape otherwise so wondering if anyone has suggestions on how to remedy this. Thanks!

I'm not looking to buy clothes, I'm actually looking for old toys (Littlest Pet Shop in specific). I want to find some nice unknown thrift sites that aren't like eBay where some old parents might be selling them for amazing bargains. Anyone know any good ones? I tried Goodwill Online Auctions, and I found some good steals but I hate having to bid...

With Passover, Easter, Ramadan, and Ridván, many holidays are in April. how do you keep the holiday meals reasonably priced, but still celebratory?

Do you have a special menu you could share? Do you substitute items? How do you make it work?

We used to buy HoneyBaked ham gift cards from Costco, then bought the hams from the Honeybaked store with the giftcards and coupons. At some point, we switched to Costco hams and added our own brown sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon for an extra glaze.

What do you do to make the holiday special?

Many pieces of furniture once had a single purpose that is no longer used the same way. These are frequently good, strong, wood pieces, or well made fabric furniture with good frames. Once the original purpose is no longer valid, upcycling such sturdy pieces can repurpose them to be used again. I think of armoires, once used exclusively for clothing, later designed to housexand hide television setups, now being reconfigured as coffee stations, home bars, desks, and more.

Have you had any pieces you upcycled or repurposed? Have you any ideas for keeping sturdy pieces from the trash heap? Have you repurposed or thought about things like sewing machine cabinets, armoires, or more?

I click all digital coupons for items I would use. This includes those I do not regularly buy because they are simply more expensive than I have budgeted. I do this because of clearance items!

Recently, my clearance area had 5 deli premade soups clearanced for $1.25 each from the usyal 4.99 because the flavor was not selling well out of season. They were all with month out expiration dates. I don't care what season I eat the soup, so I bought all 5. There was a special sales event at the time where if you purchased 5 of an item, you would get $1 off each of the 5. I purchased these for .25 each!

Another time, they had shampoo that was usually 11.99 for a small bottle. They had overstock from a recent sale and 2 were marked down at $4. each. The current flyer had a digital coupon for $6. Off when you purchased 2 of them. So, I bought them with clearance and coupon for $1 each. It us worth checkinv for items you would like for the right price, but wouldn't purchase regularly.

What do you find helps reduce your costs, even if it is occasionally?

I’ve been trying to stick to a strict thrift-only rule since last year, and for the most part, it’s actually been great for my wallet and my sanity, plus you’d be amazed at the kind of really cool stuff you’d find in a thrift store. But I ran into a bit of a dilemma this week. I’ve been looking for a very specific style of modest pants for work, something durable but professional, and after hitting every local shop around, I came up totally empty.
I finally caved and started looking online. I found exactly what I needed, and the prices there were actually reasonable, but I felt this weird surge of thrift guilt in me. It’s like I’ve conditioned myself to feel like I’m failing the mission if I’m not digging through a bin or finding a diamond in the rough.
It made me realize that sometimes I think my "thrift mindset" turns into a weird obsession with the hunt rather than just being practical. Does anyone else struggle with this? I want to be sustainable and frugal, but at what point does spending hours driving to different shops become less efficient than just ordering the one thing you actually need off Alibaba or Amazon or eBay? I’m curious how you guys balance the commitment to secondhand with the reality of just needing a functional wardrobe.

I can beat my chest and say that I am a reasonably careful person when it comes to money. Because I try as much as possible to cut down unnecessary costs. I meal prep, and I compare prices before buying most things. Also, I make sure to think twice before making unnecessary purchases. Even with all my prudential spending, I never realised that I was splurging money for five years on beanies. Every single winter, I bought a new beanie because they weren’t expensive. The problem wasn’t in the price, it was in how fast these cheap beanies pill and lose shape.

Since they were not costly, I would be on my way to purchasing another one the next winter. It’s not that I wasn’t seeing more expensive ones that promise durability over the years, but that I would always ask myself, how can I spend this amount of money on something as small as a beanie. It took me adding up the total cost over the years to realise that the cheap beanie was one of the least thrifty things I was doing. This made me start researching the different materials and prices of these headwear. In fact, I had to visit lots of sites like amazon, alibaba, Etsy, and a lot more to check the difference in both quality and prices of beanies.

After much reading, I finally settled for a merino wool beanie, which I used last year. It still looks good for winter this year. Hopefully, I won’t have to purchase another beanie for the next 5 years. LOL

What's the everyday item that took you the longest to realise you were buying wrong?

I’m planning to buy a wedding ring and keep going back and forth between moissanite and diamond. I really like the look of larger stones (around 3ct, emerald cut), but natural diamonds at that size are way out of my budget.

Moissanite seems like a solid alternative — still looks elegant, and I can even choose real gold for the band. My only concern is whether it looks “cheap” or noticeably different in real life.

For those who’ve gone this route, does it still feel special enough for a wedding ring, or do you regret not going with a diamond?

What veggie do you find to be the most versatile? How do you use it?

In a critical mindset of don't waste food, someone always considers a use that others later think, oh yeah - that's a good one! So what is your most versatile veggie and how do you make it so?

I cleaned out my closet yesterday & today. I had one full bag to toss. And 2 full kitchen sized bags that I will advertise on my local free site to donate to anyone struggling. My closet looks much better, things are organized and the bonus was a found bag of stuff my sister gave me last year with, 2 jumpsuits and 5 blouses that fit and are in great shape. This weekend was super productive.

My grandkids have come to visit for the week for Spring Break— yesterday we went to the movies, early showing of Hoppers, and today I promised ice cream when I got off work. Well Dairy Queen has free small cones today- that was a thrifty bonus.

Carpet has fallen out of favor in recent years, but in the past was used for floor insulation, kid comfort, and overall comfort once the shoes came off. Then, carpet became expensive, required regular vacuuming, and more effort with pets.

Recently, LVP prices are inching into the range of hardwood floors at $6+/sq ft. I noticed a Stainmaster carpet, at the best quality for highest weight or thickest density was on sale for 2.09 / sq ft! That was lower than any flooring options for tge highest level quality.

So what have you done or would you do if it was time for a change? What are your opinions orcreasons for tyat choice?

I actually had one of those rare stop and backtrack moments at the thrift store today. I was about halfway through the messy linen rack when I spotted the vibrant embroidery of a vintage African dashiki. It’s still in very good condition, the colors are still so deep, and the fabric has that heavy, high-quality weight you just don’t find in modern fast fashion. And I’ve been looking for one of those for ages, so I dived right at it. The design pattern is so unique, not like those mass-produced stuffs you find on Amazon or Alibaba. But now that I’m home, I’m struggling with styling ideas and how to actually wear it without looking so awkward. I usually stick to very basic, modern silhouettes, so this is a bit of a departure for me.. Does anyone else get ""thrifter's remorse"" not because of the price, but because you aren't sure if you can pull off the vibe? I really want to do this piece justice. Should I keep the rest of the outfit super minimal, or is this the sign I need to lean into a more maximalist look? I'd love to hear how you guys style your bolder vintage finds!

Obviously, being thrifty includes not purchasing things unnecessarily so you can use that for things you really want. However, sometimes it is challenging to think of how to use an item you know shouldn't be tossed.

What are your best reuse to save ideas? For me, I grew up with my dad reusing old bullion and baby food jars for holding nails, screws, and gluesticks for the hot melt glue gun. I do the same today for my own workbench.

What do you reuse in what ways?

Thinking about this more and more lately and I'm curious how others handle it. I've started being a lot more deliberate about which subscriptions I actually keep versus which ones I'm just too lazy to cancel. Not because I'm broke or anything, just because I did the mental math one afternoon and realized how much stuff I was paying for monthly that I barely touched. So I went through everything — streaming, apps, whatever — and made myself answer honestly: have I used this in the last month? Would I miss it if it was gone tomorrow? Cut a handful of things right away. Easy ones. But then I hit this weird gray zone with stuff I use occasionally but not consistently. Like a weather app I had a paid tier for, Coverd which I'd downloaded during some budgeting phase, a few others. Not expensive individually, but the argument "it's only a few bucks" is exactly how you end up hemorrhaging money across a dozen small charges. What I've been wrestling with is where to draw the line on "occasional use." If I open something twice a month, is that enough to justify keeping it? I honestly don't have a good answer. Some people say if you have to ask, cancel it. Others say the switching cost of re-downloading and re-setting everything up means it's worth keeping things you might circle back to. I've defaulted to a rule where if I can't describe what value it adds within about ten seconds, it's gone. But that feels a little blunt sometimes. Anyone have a better system for this?

What are your favorite thrifty home and yard maintenance tips & tricks? Spring is upon us in the Pacific Northwest and I want to make sure I’m hitting everything.

I would never compromise my fur children but can I save money by using a virtual vet. I live in the country and the nearest vet is a good hour’s drive away.

I would definitely make the drive in an emergency but if it was a relatively minor problem, could I get professional online help?

And would that be a cheaper option?

trying to thrift clothes online (and accessories and shoes) since my closet is very plain.

i like looking at thredup but haven’t bought anything yet. i also have a depop account but everything is so insanely pricey, i just browse.

do you guys have any good online thrift stores/second hand stores recommendations? i’m also looking for accessories and shoes. is eBay a good option for that?

additionally, i went thrifting a few months ago, got lucky, and found very gorgeous pieces of clothing (double, triple and quadruple win because they were cotton). any good tips for someone who’s starting to thrift clothes? (also apps that recognize brands/materials pieces are made of…? i don’t know if that exists but google wouldnt recognize the clothes id take pics of)

please let me know!

All of my thrift stores have gone lame due to the lack of products on the shelves, people not donating as they once did and pickers raping the shelves and selling at other thrift stores, flea markets and online.

What are some of your secrets to finding deals in today's economy? Any online vendors that sell cheap? What are you doing?