The low down on the toilet paper

I have received several comments on the toilet paper issue, Blog, Facebook, or otherwise. I'll take this opportunity to address some of these

1) A bidet was suggested. As a world traveler, I have used many toilet/bidet facilities and the smartest one is the Toto "Washlet" which combines the luxury of a bidet into the convenience of one fixture--the bidet feature is built into the toilet seat. Recently I considered getting one for the sole purpose of having a heated seat (the "washlet" has a heated seat, deodorizing fan,etc). Below freezing temps outside make for not wanting to drop your drawers and sit on a cold seat! The washlet is expensive. Cheapest I found on internet was around $500, and that's not including labor to install.

Not sure that it gets the job done, so to speak. My ex decided to give it a try while we were vacationing in Japan. After he did his business, he pressed the button for the bottom wash, and then the button for the hot air dry. Good thing he decided to give it a "test-wipe" because he discovered that it didn't work as intended, and in fact, he had baked the excrement onto his bottom, much like adobe.

I might recommend a sink sprayer as a cheaper option to a bidet. I had plumbed in a sink sprayer to the fresh water line of the toilet. The was for the purpose of rinsing diapers, and then later BM accidents, vomit, etc from kids clothes. One *could* use this as a bidet, but it is COLD water. BRRRRR!!! I never tried it as a bidet, but I *think* some of my foreign friends did. I removed the contraption after about 4 years because it began to leak.

One still has to dry themselves after this. I suppose you could use a washcloth or towel. It would be no different that drying your rear off after a shower. A French friend once told me that they could get 10 "uses" out of each rag: once for each corner on the front, and then once for each corner on the flip side, plus each middle.

2) Coupons were suggested. Where do you get coupons for toilet paper? Give me the scoop.

3) Sam's Club. Boy, I've had to get creative on the math. Toilet paper manufacturers don't all label the same, and this makes it difficult to compare. Want to make sure we compare apples to apples and oranges to oranges. So, Mary K's Scott tissue from Sams Club has 115.2 square feet PER ROLL, and a case costs $18.88 and contains 30 rolls ($0.629 per roll). Cost per square foot (Dang, I sound like I'm building a house not buying toilet paper! lol) for the Scott tissue is (0.00546).

So, how does this compare to Angel Soft (cheap brand that I currently use from Wal-mart)? Angel Soft was recently being sold as a loss leader at our local Kroger equivalent. A 4-pack was $1.00, or 25 cents a roll. But what constitutes a roll? Angel soft sells in double or single rolls. A double-roll of Angel soft contains 41.75 square feet, whereas the single roll contains 20.87 square feet. In this case it was a 4-pack of single rolls being sold for $1. So, one could buy 83.50 square feet of Angel Soft for $1 or 0.011976 a square foot--about twice the price as the Scott's from Sams.

Guess I'll be shopping for TP at Sams...but where to store 30 rolls in a house with no closets? or cabinets in the bathrooms? I'll get creative :-)