How to save money on bathroom overheads?

Question

This question got me thinking, I spend around $3 per week on toilet paper for the bathroom.

If I could half that, I could save ((3*52) *60 years of life left) = $9,360 over the rest of the course of my life!!! Now, if I invest that money and get generous returns, we could be talking a 6 figure return on this opportunity.

So my question is: How can I reduce my toilet paper usage by 50%? Are there any particular 'wiping' techniques I could use? Perhaps something to reduce bathroom frequency or maybe some kind of water cleaner like they use in Japan?

Answers greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

You could invest into a bidet.

A bidet is a shower which allows you to clean your nether-regions after using the toilet. When you use a bidet, you can use a lot less toilet paper. But you will of course slightly increase your warm water consumption.

They are available in form of a stand-alone installation which looks like a cross-breed between a toilet and a sink or as add-ons for a regular toilet.

The add-on solution can be pretty inexpensive (Amazon has some for below $30), but I wouldn't expect those to work for very long. A dedicated bidet can be more expensive (not the material itself but mostly the work to get it installed, which can vary a lot on how your bathroom is designed and what handymen cost in your area) but will likely last for a lifetime.

Answer 2

If you are spending $3/week on toilet paper, the likely problem is not the wiping technique, but the folding technique. People who wad up a large amount of paper will use far more than someone who pulls out 5 or so sheets (2-ply) and folds them.

As a child I had a friend with a very large family, and there was a house rule that limited the number of sheets used. I thought it was odd, but I learned that with very little effort some waste could be avoided, so I adjusted my behavior.

I make it a point to avoid wasteful behaviors because I know that wasteful habits add up over time. Whether it's the impact to my budget, or to the environment, or whatever, I try to find reasonable efficiency habits and adopt them. This change is probably one that could save you plenty of money through your lifetime, but your costs strike me as higher than what I would expect on average.

Answer 3

I love the bidet idea. Other than that you've got an array of tissue quality options that can impact price significantly.

You could try to go for the truckstop/restaurant quality giant rolls, might save you a bit, but standard sized rolls frequently go on sale. The Costco toilet paper standard price (might vary by area) is $0.00125/sheet. If you already have a membership that's a great option. Otherwise stock up when there are good sales. One of the foremost experts on toilet paper deal tracking only purchases when the price is under $0.00253 per sheet, but few sales strike lower than the Costco price, just be sure to factor in membership cost if you don't already have one.

Using $3/week sounds like a lot. Maybe you have a large household and this reasonable, but I'm guessing there is a technique issue. Apparently a large number of people just tear/wad/wipe and repeat. Even https://howtowipeyourbutt.com/ shows the inefficient wad method. The more efficient approach is wipe, fold, wipe again, until the the folded size becomes unusable. What I've gleaned from personal experience and quick scan of some search results is that people who fold typically use 3-4 sheets to clean themselves up.

There could also be a dietary component, if every cleaning effort is an ordeal that is not normal.

Edit: Just checked Sam's Club, they have 1,000 foot rolls of rest-stop/restaurant style 2-ply 6 for $20.34. These are non-perforated, but if you go with 3-sheets per foot that's a per sheet price of $0.00113. Not a pleasant way to save a few cents a week in my opinion.

Answer 4

You could save money on the paper instead. For example, Costco Kirkland Signature paper is $26.99 for 36 rolls, or 75 cents per roll. It seems unlikely that you’re personally using four rolls per week, so you could save money by switching. (I have no affiliation with Costco.)