A MUM has revealed she makes her family use newspaper instead of toilet roll – as she gets the papers for free. 

Melody Gravitt, from Oklahoma, shared her extreme cost-cutting measures on TLC’s Extreme Cheapskates, which also include using the same bathwater. 

Melody, who lives with her two sons, Brandon and Ronnie, and husband Ron, shared an insight into her frugal lifestyle, saying: “I don’t buy toilet paper. I use newspapers that we get free in town.”

She demonstrates exactly how it works, pointing to a stack of papers next to the toilet. 

Melody said: “You take one sheet, you don’t need more than that, crumple it up, use it, and then you put it when you get done into this bag. 

“And when this bag is full we take it out and burn it.”

But she unrolls the piece she just crumpled up for the camera and puts it back on the pile, as she ‘hasn’t used it and didn’t want to waste it’. 

She revealed her unusual bathroom habit hadn’t gone unnoticed by family and friends.

Melody admitted: “I’ve had people say here, let me buy you a roll of toilet paper. 

“It’s not that I can’t buy a roll of toilet paper, I don’t need to, we don’t need it.”

But sometimes she does get caught short when someone has forgotten to replace the pile of papers, but she has a cunning trick up her sleeves. 

Melody explained: “Sometimes I’ve come in here, I got boys in the family they don’t always replace newspaper.”

She drew back the curtain to reveal the window complete stuffed with newspapers.

“I’ve insulated this window with newspaper, keeps the light out, helps with heating and cooling, and saves me if I'm on the toilet and I need something. 

“All I have to do is lift this window and there’s me some more toilet paper,” she proudly said. 

In a bid to keep costs down the family also only uses electricity, not gas, to heat and power their home, and uses a well outside for water. 

Melody, who describes her family as ‘hillbilly cheapskates’, also admitted they all share one tub of water each day.

She said: “To save money on water and electricity, we use cold water and the whole family takes a bath.

“My husband will take a bath, then I do, then Brandon then Ronnie. Saves us a lot of money.”

And she also rations shower gel and shampoo, with a single bottle lasting six months on her household. 

Although Brandon admitted sometimes he wouldn’t mind a more private experience, saying: “Sometimes I do want to take my own shower here and there. Can’t really do much because my parents like to save water.”

Melody, who added she only owns three pairs of shoes, trousers and 15 tops, says her thrifty ways have managed to save her family hundreds each year, and they were able to put their hard-earned cash towards a cruise. 

A clip of Melody’s scrimping ways was shared to TikTok, where people were baffled over her use of newspaper. 

Commenting on the practice, one person asked: "Why is no one talking about how painful and rough newspaper would be."

Another thought: "Imagine getting paper cuts down there."

A third said: "How do you not need toilet paper."

This person pointed out: "At least fold the magazine & not crumple it imagine the paper cuts with that."

While another added: "I'm someone who loves to save money buying reduced stuff to clear but this is just tooooo much."

While this ‘ultimate cheapskate housewife’ reveals she RATIONS loo roll & asks neighbours for food (but she DOES have a $1m house).

And this mum who lost her toddler in a supermarket shares the tip she used for finding him – and EVERY parent needs to know it.

Plus it turns out we’ve been wearing our dressing gowns all wrong as mum shares ‘game-changing’ hack.

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