A mom’s brutally honest list of money-saving hacks has the internet gagging out of disgust.
What she called survival strategies were called “insane” and even dangerous by viewers.
Netizens called it a hygienic nightmare when she revealed that one of her money-saving rules was to flush the toilet only once a week. “Sorry but disgusting is the word,” commented one appalled viewer.
A mom’s brutally honest list of money-saving hacks has the internet gagging out of disgust
“Things my low-income family of 6 does that would drive a high-income family crazy,” read the title of the video shared by the mother, known as Jaz on TikTok.
The mother listed several unconventional habits that she said helped her household cut costs.
But while her intention may have been to highlight resourcefulness, many viewers said the tips crossed a line and were flat-out concerning.
Among the most talked-about suggestions were using reusable toilet paper and sharing a single bath towel among the entire family.
She even spoke about taking turns in the same bathwater before repurposing it for cleaning.
As the list went on, Jaz revealed that her family brushes their teeth with soap instead of toothpaste.
The internet called her tips “insane,” questioning whether they were even “unsafe” and “unhygienic”
They even share the same razor and do their own hair at home to avoid trips to the salon.
“So grateful I have what I have, and the things I’ve learned!” she wrote in the caption of her viral TikTok video.
While some people acknowledged that low-income households often have to make difficult choices, many argued that these particular hacks seemed wildly unhygienic.
“Low income doesn’t say that you have to be unhygienic,” one commenter wrote online
“No, that’s just really unhygienic,” read one comment on her video, while another asked, “Ever heard of the dollar store?”
“I haven’t felt high income until I realized yes… this would send me into a coma if I had to do this,” one said.
Another wrote, “You can’t sell your necklace or watch? This is insane.”
The idea of sharing bathwater struck a nerve with some. “Share the same bath water and use it to clean with? What do you mean? That’s the nastiest thing I have ever heard in my 40 years of life,” one commented.
Others pointed out that some of the so-called cost-saving swaps didn’t even make sense. “Toothpaste doesn’t cost that much,” one person noted, while another said, “i promise you i PROMISE YOU, you can get toothpaste for FREE at cvs if you just use the coupons in the app. i haven’t paid for toothpaste in years!!!”
“Sorry but disgusting is the word,” commented one appalled viewer
“Sharing the same razor is not only disgusting but also dangerous,” one user cautioned, echoing concerns about infections and skin-related issues.
Another said, “We were suuuper poor growing up, but never had to do these things. There are other ways.”
Many had issues with her family sharing the same towel, triggering a longstanding debate over a communal towel vs. a personal towel.
Ben Harvey and Liam Stapleton, former hosts of Triple J’s breakfast program, put the long-running debate to the test in 2018, with the help of microbiologist Dr. Nick Coleman.
Ben’s communal family towel, which all his family members used for a week before it was rinsed and put through the same cycle, was lab-tested against Liam’s personal towel. Dr. Nick tested the towels by extracting “towel-water” or “towel juice” in a lab setting to examine what microbes were living on them.
“The extracted liquid” on Ben’s towel was like “a horrific soup of dead skin cells and bacteria and lord-knows-what… Ben’s was way, WAY more gross. Like, it was disgusting. I was pretty shocked actually,” Dr. Nick said.
@jazminer17 so grateful i have what i have, and the things i’ve learned! #lowincomefamily #lowbudget #lowincome #savingmoney #jazsmith ♬ Chopin Nocturne No. 2 Piano Mono – moshimo sound design
The shared family towel was loaded with around 550 million staphylococcus bacteria. And roughly half were golden staph, a strain that can cause infections and be passed through cuts or broken skin.
In comparison, Liam’s personal towel had far fewer staph, about 3.5 million, and none of the more were detected to be the dangerous golden staph.
However, the surprise twist came when Dr. Nick checked the levels of feces-associated bacteria (like E.coli).
Liam’s towel showed higher levels of possible E. coli contamination, suggesting traces of fecal bacteria.
“So Ben’s family are giving each other staph but I’m not cleaning my bum right,” Liam said.
The bottom line is that sharing a communal family towel can amplify risks, but even personal hygiene habits aren’t entirely free from bacteria.
Netizens were appalled when they heard other money-saving hacks, like flushing once a week and sharing the same toothbrush
In another viral video, Jaz claimed her family has a single weekly toilet flush included in their schedule.
“My family only flushes the toilet one time a week, on Fridays,” she said.
Experts have pointed out that good toilet hygiene is all about preventing the spread of harmful bacteria and viruses. If bathrooms are not cleaned and disinfected regularly, it allows for germs to spread easily, according to studies.
Not flushing regularly allows waste to sit longer, increasing the buildup of bacteria and other pathogens in the toilet bowl and surrounding surfaces. When it is eventually flushed, it can release contaminated droplets into the air and spread microbes to nearby areas.
In bathrooms shared by a group of people, this can raise the overall risk of germ transmission.
@jazminer17 yesterday was flushing friday!!!!! meant to post this the other day!!! this saves us so much money! #flushingfriday #savingmoney #lifehacks #jazsmith #jazminer17 ♬ original sound – jaz
Another hack that Jaz unabashedly offered to viewers was her hair-washing tips. “Washing my hair and bathing in my neighbor’s pool to save money,” she said.
Yet another video showed her flaunting the one toothbrush that exists in her entire household.
“My family shares the same toothbrush… It saves us money because why would I buy more than one when this one has worked perfectly for all of us for more than a year,” she told her viewers.
It is unclear whether Jaz actually follows these practices at home or whether the videos are scripted or exaggerated to increase views online.
@jazminer17 it saves us at least 1.02 a week! #familyhandwashingwater #jazsmith #savingmoney ♬ original sound – jaz
Sharing a toothbrush can also lead to a number of health risks, making a person susceptible to oral and general health problems.
“Brushing sometimes causes the gums to bleed, which exposes everyone you share your toothbrush with to blood stream diseases. This means that by sharing a toothbrush, you could also be sharing blood, which is a lot riskier than just swapping saliva,” said Dr Ben Atkins, dentist and trustee of the Oral Health Foundation.
“There are many hundreds of different bacteria and viruses in our mouths and people sharing a toothbrush could be passing these on to others,” he continued. “While this might be something relatively harmless, such as a common cold or cold sore, if more severe consequences.”
“What do you mean ‘soap for our teeth,’” one netizen commented online
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