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Couples are having a blast while poking fun at their bizarre and random finds at HomeGoods

Shopping at Home Goods be like this, exactly.

homegoods, shopping at homegoods, discounted home decor, homegoods deals
@lilianawilde/TikTok,@phantom.goats/TikTok

Ain't no party like a HomeGoods party.

Target might have the mainstream market cornered on the whole “go for one thing, leave with a full shopping cart” narrative, but real ones know there’s another store that offers a similar experience—only ten times more eclectic.

HomeGoods, brought to you by the same company that owns T.J. Maxx and Marshalls, is essentially a flea market on steroids, minus the secondhand aspect. Customers wander aisle to aisle perusing a random mishmash of bobbles from literally thousands of vendors—a dinosaur shaped dog bed here, a Belgian waffle scented candle there—until they find that one precious item (or, let's be honest, several precious items) to fill those pesky vacant corners of their home.

As any HomeGoods devotee will tell you, it’s not so much a shopping experience as it is a treasure hunt, especially since there’s often only one of whatever item you procure. Which obviously makes it much more fun than simply scrolling through Amazon.

But words fail to capture the bizarre, yet thrilling HomeGoods phenomenon compared to the video below, posted by Aubrey Gavello. In the hilarious clip, Gavello and her partner basically ask one another if the store might possibly carry some impossibly specific item, only to find out that, lo and behold, HomeGoods does in fact have it.

How specific are we talkin’? A snow globe with a small photo of the Golden Girls with the word “squad goals,” a full-sized, half black half white bust of a woman with bubbles on her head and a globe with no countries on it, just an inspirational quote, just to give you an idea.

There's even a mannequin with a Christmas tree for a petticoat for the seamstress looking to get into the holiday spirit,”and a “Meowna Lisa” painting for cat lovers who also enjoy art. Truly, there's something for everyone at HomeGoods.


@aubreygavelloo Honestly that lanky horse is coming home with us #homegoodsfinds #shopping #holiday #couple ♬ original sound - Aubrey Gavello

Of course, HomeGoods aficionados came in quick to defend some of these products. One viewer wrote, “Is it just me or is $9.99 for the Meowna Lisa a steal?” while another demanded “give me that Golden Girls snowglobe right NYOW”

Another viewer chimed in to say, “I worked at HomeGoods for 5 years and some stuff we got was so random. Then when you met the person buying it, it just made sense.”

Still another wrote, “You don’t go to HomeGoods looking for things. You go to HomeGoods to be found by things. It’s a spiritual journey.”

HomeGoods itself (or at least, the official HomeGoods TikTok account) left a comment which read: “sometimes you don’t know what you need until you go to HomeGoods.”


@liliannawilde shopping at homegoods be like… maybe we do need gold dusted wooden chickens?? @Sean Kolar #homegoods #homegoodsfinds #couplecomedy #marriage #husbandwife ♬ original sound - Lilianna Wilde


@sheawhatnow I cant believe they had everything we were looking for! We ❤️ you @HomeGoods #homegoodsfinds #homegoods #shopwithme #husbandandwifecomedy @Johnny Whitfield ♬ Christmas Is Coming - DM Production



@phantom.goats #homegoods #homegoodsfinds #homegoodsthings #shopping #christmas #christmasshopping #trend #trending #funnyvideo #comedyvideo #fyp #foryoupage ♬ original sound - Phantom Goats

Thanks to TikTok, highlighting these oh-so random finds is now simply an additional part of HomeGoods culture. Just search “HomeGoods shopping be like” and you’ll find a whole slew of videos just like Gavello’s.

And it probably goes without saying, but—while it’s fun to find unique, discounted items, it’s wise to be weary of buying things you don’t actually need. Especially when it comes to super niche holiday items, like the ones featuring in the clip below.


@livekindly HomeGoods anti-haul to save you from overconsumption this holiday season! 🫶 Where should we anti-haul next? #overconsumption #antihaul #deinfluencing #homegoods #homegoodsfinds #christmas #christmasdecor ♬ Christmas - JerryJeyy

Still, there’s something to be said about the healing retail therapy powers of a good HomeGoods haul. As with all things, there’s a balance to strike. So while maybe you don’t need single use leopard print wrapping paper, that leopard spotted rug you’ll treasure for years to come could be the perfect purchase.

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Health

How often should you wash your sheets? Experts settle the debate once and for all.

People have all kinds of opinions on this.

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How often do you change your sheets?

If you were to ask a random group of people, "How often do you wash your sheets?" you'd likely get drastically different answers. There are the "Every single Sunday without fail" folks, the "Who on Earth washes their sheets weekly?!?" people and everyone in between.

According to a survey of 1,000 Americans conducted by Mattress Advisor, the average time between sheet changings or washings in the U.S. is 24 days—or every 3 1/2 weeks, approximately. The same survey revealed that 35 days is the average interval at which unwashed sheets are "gross."

Some of you are cringing at those stats while others are thinking, "That sounds about right." But how often should you wash your sheets, according to experts?

Hint: It's a lot more frequent than 24 days.

While there is no definitive number of days or weeks, most experts recommend swapping out used sheets for clean ones every week or two.

Dermatologist Alok Vij, MD told Cleveland Clinic that people should wash their sheets at least every two weeks, but probably more often if you have pets, live in a hot climate, sweat a lot, are recovering from illness, have allergies or asthma or if you sleep naked.

We shed dead skin all the time, and friction helps those dead skin cells slough off, so imagine what's happening every time you roll over and your skin rubs on the sheets. It's normal to sweat in your sleep, too, so that's also getting on your sheets. And then there's dander and dust mites and dirt that we carry around on us just from living in the world, all combining to make for pretty dirty sheets in a fairly short period of time, even if they look "clean."

Maybe if you shower before bed and always wear clean pajamas you could get by with a two-week sheet swap cycle, but weekly sheet cleaning seems to be the general consensus among the experts. The New York Times consulted five books about laundry and cleaning habits, and once a week was what they all recommend.

Sorry, once-a-monthers. You may want to step up your sheet game a bit.

What about the rest of your bedding? Blankets and comforters and whatnot?

Sleep.com recommends washing your duvet cover once a week, but this depends on whether you use a top sheet. Somewhere between the Gen X and Millennial eras, young folks stopped being about the top sheet life, just using their duvet with no top sheet. If that's you, wash that baby once a week. If you do use a top sheet, you can go a couple weeks longer on the duvet cover.

For blankets and comforters and duvet inserts, Sleep.com says every 3 months. And for decorative blankets and quilts that you don't really use, once a year washing will suffice.

What about pillows? Pillowcases should go in with the weekly sheet washing, but pillows themselves should be washed every 3 to 6 months. Washing pillows can be a pain, and if you don't do it right, you can end up with a lumpy pillow, but it's a good idea because between your sweat, saliva and skin cells, pillows can start harboring bacteria.

Finally, how about the mattress itself? Home influencers on TikTok can often be seen stripping their beds, sprinkling their mattress with baking soda, brushing it into the mattress fibers and then vacuuming it all out. Architectural Digest says the longer you leave baking soda on the mattress, the better—at least a few hours, but preferably overnight. Some people add a few drops of essential oil to the baking soda for some extra yummy smell.

If that all sounds like way too much work, maybe just start with the sheets. Pick a day of the week and make it your sheet washing day. You might find that climbing into a clean, fresh set of sheets more often is a nice way to feel pampered without a whole lot of effort.


This article originally appeared last year.

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Gen Z, Gen X and millennials share their 'boomer' complaints, proving old folks can be right

We all have an inner boomer that comes out from time to time.

via Tim Doefler/Unsplash

Boomers weren't wrong about everything.

Baby boomers (people born between 1946 and 1964) have been taking a lot of heat over the past few years from younger generations who think that their me-first mentality helped create a world where the climate is getting warmer, the rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer and people born in the ‘40s and ‘50s still rule the modern workplace.

Boomers are also super frustrating because many can’t figure out modern technology, and the younger folks have to explain it until they are blue in the face.

Of course, these are all generational stereotypes that many baby boomers would reject. But they will probably stand up and cheer when they read a list of tweets inspired by X user @FvreignLL, who asked, “What is the most boomer complaint you have?” The post was embraced by younger people and received over 123 million views.

Even though boomers are in the hot seat these days, just about everyone can agree that they’re right about many things that get under younger people’s skin, too. One of the recurring themes of the post was that people can’t stand the fact that we are overly dependent on technology, and often, instead of making things more accessible, it makes them more frustrating.

Here are 15 of the best ‘boomer complaints’ that younger people have, too.

People had a lot of thoughts on the state of customer service in 2024.



They also can’t stand the idea that technology has complicated things unnecessarily.



Technology has also made people super annoying. What's the point in paying $13 for a movie and scrolling through your phone in the theater the whole time?



We’ve also created a world that isn’t exactly kid-friendly.



And, what happened to adults?



Whatever happened to paying for something once and then owning it? Or being able to own physical media so that you don’t have to pay every time you watch your favorite movie?



Also, when did we all decide that almost every chip has to be kettle-cooked and made for people with cobalt teeth? Enjoying a snack shouldn't result in a $5,000 dental bill.



Remember when coffee was a quarter? Boomers do. These days, it's common to spend $6 or $7 on a cup of Joe.



Most importantly, young people also have a real problem with you standing on their finely manicured lawn.



This rundown shouldn't just lead one to believe that boomers are the cranky generation. When their time comes, Gen Xers, millennials and Gen Z will be right behind them, complaining about "kids these days" and why things were so much better "in my day." But hopefully, they'll be a bit better at using technology.


This article originally appeared last year.

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Parenting

Devastated dad shares why he didn't tell his 10-year-old daughter it was her birthday

“I don’t know if we made the right decision…It’s killing us.”

@kylephilippi/TikTok

“Today’s her birthday, and we’re pretending like it’s just another day."

Kid’s birthdays are both lovely moments of celebration, and potential sources of stress for any parent, for various reasons. For dad Kyle Philippi (whom we’ve previously covered for dressing up as Jafar to cure his friend of an irrational phobia), his daughter’s 10th birthday was particularly full of anguish—since he didn’t tell her it actually was her birthday.

In a video posted to his TikTok that amassed close to 3 million views, the concerned dad shared his unique plight that brought him to this unusual decision: his daughter’s birthday falls on Jan 2, over winter break, meaning most kids wouldn’t be able to attend her birthday party. Two years prior, the Philippi found this out the hard way, when they tried to throw a party on the day, and no one showed.

“She was devastated,” Philippi let out through a sigh.

@kylephilippi We’re about 60/40 on whether this was a good idea… #birthday #parenting #parentingtips#autism #autismawareness #autismacceptance #auditoryprocessingdisorder #surprisebirthday #birthdayparty ♬ original sound - Kyle Philippi

Then last year, they tried a different approach. Instead of a big social gathering on Jan 2, they had a more intimate environment of just the family and one close friend, followed by a proper party once winter break was finished. At this point Philippi explained that his daughter is on the spectrum and had auditory processing disorder—so even though she had fun at both events, she still couldn’t understand why her friend couldn’t show up on her actual birthday, and was still disappointed. That’s never what any parent wants for their kid.

To make matters more sensitive, Philippi shared that his daughter was beginning to not be invited to other classmates' parties, and suspected that part of why she yearns to have a party with all her friends there was because “she knows she’s not getting to go to everyone else’s birthday.”

Hence why Philippi and his wife decided to try something new by simply not acknowledging the birthday until they can do a party with his daughter’s school friends. Understandably, though the choice was made with the best of intentions, when Jan 2 came, there were tons of conflicting feelings.

Photo credit: Canva

“I don’t know if we made the right decision. But here we are,” Philippi shared. “Today’s her birthday, and we’re pretending like it’s just another day…and it’s killing us.”

Down in the comments people—especially those with special needs kids, or were autistics themselves—were quick to reassure Philippi that he made a tough, but right call.

“As an autistic person who struggles with birthdays, you’re doing the right thing. it’s a little unconventional, but so are kids like us!! keep it up,” one person wrote.

Another added, “these ‘decisions’ are so hard but you are doing great by taking it all into consideration and trying to do what will help her feel great on her birthday.”

It seems the real thing worth noting here is that Philippi and his wife are trying to make their kid’s birthday the best it can be for her, and that’s truly admirable. Odds are nearly every parent can relate to this on some level. And for parents with neurodivergent kiddos, that can often mean navigating uncharted territory. Maybe they’ll try a different approach next year. Maybe not. What matters is they’re trying.

And from the looks of it, the actual birthday wasn’t a total wash. In a follow up video, we see that Philippi’s daughter got her favorite chicken wings for dinner, and got to plan her upcoming birthday…which will apparently be Raggedy Ann themed.

@kylephilippi Replying to @mamamcsorley1 She ate her favorite meal today and we continued to plan out her ultimate birthday party in 9 days 🙂 #birthday #parenting #parentingtips #autism #autismawareness #autismacceptance #auditoryprocessingdisorder #surprisebirthday #birthdayparty ♬ original sound - Kyle Philippi

Naturally, Philippi will be going as Raggedy Andy, per his daughter's request.

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Groom moved to tears after finding out his bride secretly learned Armenian for their wedding

When she read her vows, he fell in love all over again.

@goodcostudios/TikTok

This is a moment he'll never forget.

Just when you think you’ve seen it all when it comes to romantic wedding moments, a story like this comes along and steals your heart once again. In a now-video viral posted by filmmaker Chris Mai, owner ofGoodco Studios, we see Shahan Krakirian, an Armenian man, get absolutely blown away when he finds out his bride, Michelle Alacon Krakirian, a Filipino woman, had clandestinely been learning his native language.

It wasn’t until she began reciting her vows, in perfect Armenian, that her secret was revealed. Shahan is instantly taken aback when Michelle begins to speak, his eyes tearing up. Michelle steadily keeps her cool as she says “I promise to learn Armenian for you, because I know how important it is for you that our children know and recognize Armenian.”

She continues “I promise that wherever this life takes us, peaks or valleys, I will always be with you and walk by your side.” By this point Shahan’s lip is, understandably, in full quiver mode.

Michelle then leaves it all on a humorous note, saying “I will be with you even if we must go to the place where the donkey dies,” referring to a common Armenian idiom meaning a “faraway place.” Kind of how we might say something is “in Timbuktu.”

@goodcostudios This bride secretly learned Armenian for months to finally surprise her partner during her wedding vows. There was not a dry eye in that moment. You can see how immediately and deeply Shahan understood the weight of that moment <3. #weddingvows #emotionalweddingvows #weddingvideo #weddingceremony #bridevows #armenianvows #bridesurprise #groomsurprise #vows #personalvows ♬ original sound - Goodco Studios

In an exclusive interview with The Armenian Report, Michelle shared how her heartfelt gesture was truly a labor of love. Shahan’s family speaks Western Armenian, a dialect primarily spoken by Armenians from Lebanon. And most of the tutors in her area taught Eastern Armenian. But she did finally land on one, and for the four months leading up to the big day, Michelle tirelessly studied.

“I had flashcards and notes that I kept hidden from him. There were times I thought he’d caught me, but luckily, he didn’t,” she recalled.

Well, her hard work paid off. The look on her husband’s face confirmed that. And all over social media, folks have been sharing just how much the moment meant for them as well.

Check out some of these sweet comments:

“It's inspiring to see individuals take such meaningful steps to honor and uplift the identities of their loved ones.”

“AWW a gesture that not only spoke volumes about their relationship also highlighted the lengths one would go to make their partner feel truly special on such a momentous occasion. oh to be love like this!”

“Those heartfelt acts can indeed make a relationship feel incredibly special and meaningful.”

“Bro just made the best decision of his life by marrying such a wonderful woman. Congratulations to both of you!”

“I believe in love again.”

As for Michelle’s advice to other multicultural couples, she tells The Armenian Report that learning about your partner’s heritage opens the doors to profound blessings.

“It might take extra effort, but if it’s important to you, it can be an incredibly rewarding experience.”

What a beautiful testament to how love can unify two different worlds to create something completely new. Congrats to the happy couple.

This article originally appeared last year.

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Internet

Woman is shocked after learning the truth behind how people have such long lasting spray tans

"I will just continue to embrace my Morticia Addams aesthetic."

Photo credit: Canva

Woman is disgusted after learning truth behind lasting spray tans

Everyone doesn't tan easily and for some, reducing their risk of skin cancer and premature excess wrinkles is more important than laying out with a bottle of baby oil. For those that want a tan without the massive amounts of UV exposure, spray tanning is the a good option. You can get the sun kissed, recently back from vacation look without the risk.

The process is simple. You walk into a room and someone comes in with what looks like an airbrush gun and sprays a nice even layer or two of artificial melanin on your skin. It can even out your skin tone, leaving your skin looking healthy and more vibrant. There is a catch though–it's temporary.

Technically a summer tan acquired the old fashioned way is also temporary but it generally takes weeks or months to completely fade away. But a spray tan only lasts about 5-10 days depending on how well you "care" for it. A woman who goes by the name Miss Redacted on TikTok recently received her first spray tan, when given the instructions for how to extend the life of her spray tan through "proper care," she was left flabbergasted.

Of course when you get something done to your body you are expecting that there will be specific instructions on how to care for the new thing. Whether it's a piercing, tattoo or even a chemical peel, you expect an overload of informative care instructions before you're allowed to leave the place you received the service.

Season 10 Episode 3 GIF by FriendsGiphy

So the woman was not surprised to receive the rundown on making sure her skin remained glowingly sun kissed for as long as possible, what she wasn't expecting was the lack of care. Or maybe the better description would be the lack of hygiene required to maintain her newly tanned skin.

"Because recently I got a spray tan for the first time because I really like being tan but I don't want to have wrinkles later because I'm obviously very vain. So i went the first time and I expected that I wouldn't be able to shower normally for the first 12-24 hours and that didn't bother me that much because I'm like okay, I understand the tan has to like set in. I can be gross for a half a day, a day max, whatever, it's not that serious," Miss Redacted says before explaining the woman who did her spray tan began talking her through the process.

sexy amanda GIFGiphy

The confused woman recalls a roommate in college that used to get spray tanned all the time as she put the pieces together on hygiene and spray tans. She tells the person doing her spray tan that she generally showers twice a day using soap and a silicone scrubber to wash her entire body to which the spray tan artist immediately tells her not to use on her body because it will take her tan off.

"I was like, 'oh so don't use it the first shower?' and she was like 'no, like not at all.' And I was like 'what should I use instead of that,'" the first time customer asks.

suzy parker shower GIFGiphy

She was shocked to hear the artist tell her that she needed to switch to a wash cloth and only use it to wash her, "underarms, your bikini area, and under your bra line." Again, Miss Redacted clarifies that the artist means for the first shower only but the artist reiterates not to put soap on your body "at all" for the first shower, only using a wash cloth in the areas she previously mentioned. Once again, the woman was dumbfounded and asks again, what the spray tan artist means.

"I was like, 'what do you mean?' And she was like, 'if you want your tan to last the full 10 days, when you shower only use soap in those areas and just do water everywhere else,'" she says.

Winner Challenge GIF by Survivor CBSGiphy

There was no getting around the idea that in order for the spray tan to last the woman was not going to be able to properly wash herself and she was thoroughly uncomfortable with that idea, informing the artist that she was going to continue to bathe regularly. Miss Redacted was told that if she bathed like normal her spray tan would only last five or six days.

"Because I got down this rabbit hole I started reading about it on Reddit and some of the ways that girls were saying they maintained their spray tans is absolutely insane. Absolutely insane. Like y'all need a bath. Y'all need a...actually a hose down. Let's like put you in the yard with some Dawn, like you're one of the ducks in an oil spill. I think that's what's needed at this point," the woman jokes before clarifying that she doesn't think this is every woman getting spray tanned is avoiding bathing.

@awalmartparkinglot♬ original sound - miss redacted✨🪩🩷🇵🇸

But when it came to the ick factor over the ones who have been skipping the shower for weeks at a time, the woman wasn't the only one feeling the heebie jeebies. Commenters were also shocked and a little grossed out.

One person summoned knowledge from the legal scholar, Elle Woods, saying, "I can see not washing for 24 hours in order to not activate the ammonia thioglycolate."

"I will just continue to embrace my Morticia Addams aesthetic then because I will be scrubbing," another woman says.

"What do you mean? WHAT DO YOU MEAN," one person demands answers that likely involve soap and water.

"The first time I spray tanned, I used a washcloth and most of the tan came off. I knew at that moment people aren't showering properly. There is no way a spray tan is lasting 10 days," a commenter reveals.

Other people explain how they get their spray tans to last longer while continuing to shower daily by using tinted moisturizers and body lotions that have a gradual tanner in it. The consensus seems to be that regular spray tanning is expensive without finding an affordable alternative to maintain the tan between sessions while continuing to bathe, but spray tanning before a special occasion is preferred. Who knew hygiene after spray tanning was such an involved art form.

This article originally appeared last year.

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