Every year, families walk a tumultuous tightrope of creating holiday magic and trying not to wreck their budgets in the process. One growing trend, often called “Thriftmas,” helps strike that balance by finding secondhand treasures.For one Pennsylvania mom of four, that approach recently became an unexpected viral moment.Jade Wagler shared that her family set aside a $100 holiday budget for all four of their children. In a TikTok video that spread far beyond what she expected, she explained that they would rather save for a family vacation next year than go into debt for Christmas gifts. With everything costing more these days, and having to pay for two surgeries of her four-year-old son that year, things were already quite tight, and they couldn’t prioritize both. To stretch her budget, Jade visited local thrift stores and kept track of color coded sales. So far her finds include a musical jewelry box, a unicorn hoodie, an alphabet toy, a book, and a toy grocery cart for her youngest. Her total so far is only $14.50, which leaves her with “a whopping $85.50” to continue building a thoughtful and affordable gift collection. @jaeliz22_ What is your Christmas budget this year? Mine is $100 by choice & the refusal to buy brand new if possible, we have tried to lower our contribution to consumerism where possible! #budgetfriendly #christmasshopping #thriftmas #thrifting #thriftfinds ♬ Christmas Nostalgia - NC MUSIC Plenty of viewers applauded her focus on reducing overconsumption and keeping her spending realistic. Many also agreed that choosing memory-making experiences like a vacation was far more important than having stuff.”“I wish thriftmas was more common, we truly are ruining the world,”“As an older parent trust me the vacation will mean so much more,” You don’t need to spend lot of money on Christmas to have a good Christmas ?.”“We need to stop this overconsumption and get back to just love.” “My kid is 20 years old. He doesn't remember any of the gifts he received at Christmas BUT he does have good memories of the Christmas vacation to Disney Land. You have the right idea mama. We live in a consumer society. Your children won’t know the difference between new and used. A family enjoying an amusement park together. Photo credit: CanvaOthers in the comments disagreed more bluntly and questioned her approach. Some insisted she “knew Christmas was coming all year” and therefore should “learn to budget it in.” Others insisted she should have been shopping sales throughout the year. “I start Christmas shopping December 26, for the next Christmas! This way I can provide a magical Christmas and not get in debt,” one person wrote. Jade admitted to Fox News that the volume of negative comments was difficult to take in. "I think that it's hard to see people not choosing kindness, especially in the state of the economy that we're living in."Still, she’s remained committed to her plan. Because for her, Thriftmas is not just about being frugal. It’s also about reducing negative environmental impact. As she reminded critics 80% of all toys ending up in landfill, incinerators, or the ocean every year. In 2022 alone, people worldwide threw out more than 7 billion e-toys, according to the Michigan Library. A photo of a landfill. Photo credit: CanvaThe bigger conversation her video sparked touches something familiar for many families. The pressure to create a picture perfect holiday often collides with financial (and environmental) realities that cannot be ignored. It seems to be a lesson that needs repeating year after year: the heart of the season does not depend on the price of the gifts. It grows from the traditions we shape, the care we put into our choices, and the memories our children carry forward.Jade’s version of Christmas magic may look different from someone else’s, but it’s guided by intention, creativity, and love. And for many families searching for balance this year, that feels like a meaningful reminder.

No, it's not your eyes deceiving you. It's your brain. When magician/illusionist Pete Firman took to social media to demonstrate a bizarre optical illusion, many were not prepared to be so incredibly impressed… and confused.Even Firman captions his Instagram clip, "This illusion is SO weird." And what he demonstrates next definitely backs that claim up. Showing photos of celebrities side-by-side (Kevin Bacon, Russell Crowe, Gwyneth Paltrow, to name a few) he asks the viewers to focus on the white cross in between the photos. See on Instagram He notes, "And after a couple of seconds, something weird should start to happen. The faces begin to look distorted, disfigured. It's like the features are all out of proportion."This is called the Flash Face Distortion Effect and it's truly fascinating.He explains, "What's actually happening is your brain is holding onto previous images and overlaying them onto the new ones as they appear in your peripheral vision. Because you're not looking at the photograph directly, your brain is basically trying to fill in the blanks."He stresses that this is a very real phenomenon. "You might think that I've edited these photographs to make them look strange, but that's not the case." He then advises us to watch it again to see that it's all "legit." I'll admit, it didn't work for me the first time. But after a third viewing, the best way I can describe the faces is they appeared to be melting like a Dali painting.Those in the comments were equally baffled. a distortion GIF Giphy GIF by Xinanimodelacra Because it's so hard to explain without seeing for one's self, one Instagrammer writes, "I want to take screenshots of what my eyes are seeing."One even jokes, "Reporting you for witchcraft."This person uses the neurological phenomenon as a profound metaphor. "This is also how experience life. We hold on to previous experiences that distorts how we experience the moment."From a doctor's standpoint, Upworthy had the chance to chat with Dr. Jon Stewart Hao Dy, a board-certified neurologist based in the Philippines. He tells us that different brain structures work together, including the inferior occipitotemporal lobe and the superior temporal lobe, to create this illusion. It "primarily occurs due to (1) peripheral exaggeration, (2) contrast amplification and (3) rapid neural adaptation."He shares, "In peripheral exaggeration, when our eyes focus on the center, the faces in our peripheral vision lead to lower visual resolution and this leads to stronger contrast between the two images. Super trippy disorted face Giphy GIF by Psyklon In contrast amplification, our brain (specifically the occipital lobe) processes the faces and compares it to a 'normal/average face.' Additionally, the second face is always compared and contrasted against the differences of the first face, leading to amplification of certain facial features (eg. big eyes appear bigger, facial asymmetries appear more asymmetric).Finally, in rapid adaptation, because the occipital lobe/visual system is recalibrating and adapting too fast, the brain overcompensates for the sudden changes (as when the faces are flashed rapidly in sequence) and this then leads to facial distortions that ultimately lead to the flashed face distortion effect."Mentalist Randy Charach tells Upworthy why exactly our brains create this distortion. He exclaims, "As a mentalist who manipulates perception and cognitive bias every night onstage, the Flashed Face Distortion Effect is one of my favorite examples of brain shortcuts." See on Instagram He then tells us exactly why it works. "Because you're comparing each face to the one before it, your brain does this for time efficiency. It looks for differences, not specific features. So if a face stands next to a person with slightly larger eyes, a more pronounced jawline, or a bigger grin, your brain exaggerates the feature."He continues, "You see the stretched version of the actual picture as your visual perception system enhances contrast. Researchers term this hyper-exaggeration through rapid comparison. It's how you perceive danger in your environment. It's how I direct attention on stage. People think they're seeing an entire picture. They're merely seeing what's most important to their brains."

Being frugal can sometimes feel anything but luxurious. Saving money usually means cutting back or giving up on the "finer" things. But frugal people have found ways to still cut back on household spending while making their homes feel like five-star hotels. And bonus: their frugal "little luxuries" can have even bigger payoffs than saving money—they have big mental health benefits. “Little luxuries can trigger the release of feel-good neurotransmitters, improving overall mood,” Robert Cuyler, PhD, Chief Clinical Officer at Freespira, explained to VeryWell Mind. "Physically, little luxuries that promote relaxation and well-being can lead to lower blood pressure, improved sleep quality, reduced muscle tension, and a strengthened immune system due to decreased stress levels." - YouTube www.youtube.com To save money around the house while still feeling fancy, these are 15 frugal home hacks."My grandfather in law has motion sensor lights in every room in his home. He got me some for my apartment back in the day, and man oh man. I felt like a KING every time I walked in and the lights just popped on. My energy bill was also noticeably smaller. Still not sure why they changed to walled sized bills... Also, as an eco conscious human, I was glad to be saving energy. Finally, I found it to be more hygienic and less stressful when not having to worry about touching lights when cooking or whatever. Still swear by automated illumination to this day." - KVNTRY"Wait til you hear about pressure-based light switches. I put one in the door jamb of my pantry so when you open the door, the light immediately kicks on. Close it again, and it shuts off. It’s glorious." - Stone_The_Rock"Cloth napkins. We haven’t bought paper napkins in years, and the cloth ones are so much nicer anyway." - SmileFirstThenSpeak"Carrying everything on trays. I might be overdosing on Downton Abbey, but having trays of various sizes readily available is nicer and easier." - Heel_Worker982 @hellobrownlow welcome to Frugal Living Essentials! we're talking about all the little things that add up to being super frugal in your day to day life. #frugalliving #frugalmom #singleincomefamily #livebelowyourmeans #frugal "Changing my toilet seats out to the easy to slide off versions so you clean everything more thoroughly without fighting crevices is a game changer." - mycofirsttime"An led bulb that I programmed to do sunrise/sunset wakeup and sleep routines. Silicone trays to put skincare products on." - Okiedonutdokie"Auto sensor soap and water dispenser for the kitchen so I don't have to clean the faucets when I might have gotten raw meat juices on them." - SilentRaindrops"I bought a big pack of white washcloths for general use and I keep a stack neatly folded in half on the bathroom counter. Feels hotel-core and 'prepared' for little effort." - infieldmitt"Having indoor plants - especially the ones that have low light needs and are easy to propagate. My pothos plant is the gift that keeps on giving since its cuttings have allowed me to have greenery in every room of my place. I’ve gotten all my plants frugally - cuttings from friends, inherited plants from moving neighbors, rescued plants from work, and occasional purchases from places like Aldi or Trader Joe’s. I’m lucky to have a southeast facing room and all of my plants thrive in there. I feel so freaking fancy sitting among my plants, reading a book with my dog by my side." - onlythegoodstuff44"Bathroom fan switch with choice of how many minutes you want it to run. No more worrying about it running when we're asleep or outside the house." - fishfishbirdbirdcat - YouTube www.youtube.com "I put a pretty vintage pitcher in my shower that I fill up with hot water to use while I have the water turned off. It feels fancy and Greek-goddess-y, while also using less hot water!" - laurasaurus5"My door catchers and door stops. For the room doors that are almost always open, I installed magnetic door catchers on the baseboard. This holds the doors in place, creating clean lines in the rooms and predictably large openings. I also had two 5 lbs kettle bells which I spray painted chrome and use as door stops at my front and back doors. They are easy to place, look good, and securely hold heavy exterior doors open. I love them." - AvivaStrom"We got a robot vacuum mop. For the price of one month of having a cleaner come in to do my floors, I can have someone other than me vacuum and mop daily! Yay for Mr. Clean! Such a cheerful helper! It feels a little like having staff. ?" - mystery_biscotti"Purchased a French door from Lowes and replaced my sliding glass door. It made the room 'pop'. They have doors in every price range via their catalog from a modest expense to very expensive. I absolutely hate sliding glass doors." - texasusa"Get one of those shower curtain rods that's curved outward. Total game changer." - CurnanBarbarian

Asking For A Friend” is the Foo Fighters 15th song to top Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart (dated 12/6). Asking For A Friend “Asking For A Friend” takes over the #1 spot from Five Finger Death Punch (featuring Babymetal). “The End” was FFDP’s 17th chart leader. Only FFDP, Three Days Grace and Shinedown have scored more Mainstream Rock #1s than the Foo Fighters. Shinedown leads the survey with 21 chart toppers. With “Asking For A Friend,” Foo Fighters earn their first #1 since “The Glass,” which reached the top in April, ’24. “Best Of You,” released in ’05, was the Foo’s first #1 on the survey but they first appeared on the chart a decade earlier when “This Is A Call” peaked at #6. ### The post Foo Fighters Top Mainstream Rock For The 15th Time appeared first on RockinTown.

Major scandal could land former First Lady in deep trouble!

from Brownstone: Over the last November weekend of 2025, a memo circulated throughout the Federal Food and Drug Administration that might well trigger the entire unraveling of the US vaccine program with a focus on the mandated Covid shot in particular. The author is Dr. Vinay Prasad, who was a moderate critic during the Covid […]

from Bannons War Room: TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/

Garth Brooks’ newest anthology dives into the moments that defined his “comeback” years, complete with rare photos, exclusive footage and six full CDs. Continue reading…