A Frugal Traveler’s Unique Habit
A ‘frugal’ traveler has shared an amusing habit that he always takes from hotel rooms, and it’s not the usual complimentary toiletries. This man, known as Matt Hey, has sparked a conversation about his unique approach to saving money while traveling.
In a video, Matt revealed that he never checks out without taking the spare toilet rolls with him. He said, “What is the most frugal thing you do? I’m a little appalled at myself because I just had a reality check about how unnecessary this is, but this is something that I always do.”
Matt explained that he pays $200-$300 for a hotel room and sees no reason not to take the extra toilet paper. “It’s just one less roll that I have to buy when I’m at home,” he said.
The funnyman, also known by his stage name Alright Hey, mentioned there was only one exception where he wouldn’t take the toilet paper. “Look if it’s one ply, I’m not taking it with me,” he laughed.
Matt admitted that he always packs the spare toilet rolls into his suitcase after a hotel stay but was ‘embarrassed’ to publicly reveal his ‘frugal’ secret. “
I almost feel like this is a cancellable offence,” he said. “I’m scared to post this because I feel people are going to be like, ‘girl, get a grip.’”
He pointed out that it’s common for hotel guests to take amenities such as hand creams and shower caps, but they’re not usually his top pick. “Not me,” he said, as he held up two new toilet rolls to the camera. “I’m like embarrassed to post this, but surely some of you do worse than me?” he asked.
His video has been viewed more than 70,000 times, with many sharing their own ‘frugal’ things they’ve taken. It seems Matt isn’t the only one taking the toilet rolls. One woman confessed, “I do this but also at public places. If the toilet paper roll is just on its own and it fits in my bag, it’s mine.” Another revealed, “I haven’t bought toilet paper in three years. I decided it comes with my gym membership.”
Another person shared, “I’ve done this A LOT. One time I was almost out of toilet paper at home and two days away from payday, pinched one of those giant rolls from work, it fit perfectly in my big tote.” One added, “I do this too! I started in 2020,” referring to the year COVID sparked panic buying of toilet paper.
“I was stuck in New York when COVID started. Came home with half a suitcase of toilet paper all stolen from my hotel. It saved us when we came home to toilet paper madness and having to isolate for 14 days at home,” another explained. 
Many joked they were kicking themselves for never thinking to take toilet paper from hotel rooms, with one saying, “Wow I’ve never even thought of that and I’m a scammer at heart.”
In addition to toilet paper, hotel guests have taken other things including tissue paper and even towels. “I work at a hotel and people do this all the time. I’ve seen people take hotel towels home,” one hotel employee said, laughing, to which Matt replied: “Okay, this makes me feel better because that’s unhinged.”
However, many said they draw the line at toilet paper and stick to taking the complimentary hotel toiletries instead. “I always get annoyed when hotel rooms have the big bottles of shampoo, not the little ones to take home. I also take some of the tea bags and individual coffee even though I have them at home,” one shared.
“I stock up on condiments wherever there is some, especially Vegemite and Lurpak (butter),” another revealed. “Every time I stay at a Meriton Hotel I ask for extra toiletries and I take it home. Kevin Murphy is expensive,” one confessed, laughing.
“My partner travels for work in a truck, so I have been taking the disposable toothbrushes with the toothpaste so he can brush on the go! They come in handy if he loses his in his luggage,” another added.
While one woman revealed: “I’m the opposite, I actually take my own loo paper to hotels or on holidays if I go anywhere. Theirs always sucks.”
