Free Toliet Paper

It's one of those things that people don't really discuss. We all go, so let's have a conversation about what we use and why. And how to stop flushing money down the toilet. :)

We come from the farm with a septic tank, so we've always been tried to be careful with what we put in our septic tank. Well, campers have tanks and they are pretty delicate as well, so here we can talk frankly about "going".

What kind to use? Yes, there are many brands out there, but you want something that will break down quickly in your tank. That typically means single ply. And some of those single ply's really are skimpy. Especially one's specifically made for RVs. Guess what you'll do? You will use 21-3 times as much of it. That doesn't sound frugal or responsible in my world. So what's left then? Two brands we like for all around cost and ply, are Scott's and Cottonelle. They are both single ply, but have a little more to them making them really useable. You can find coupons for both of these on a pretty regular basis as well as finding sale prices at which to stock up as best you can.

Now lets talk about usage. First, are you a wadder or a folder? If you're a wadder, I suggest you grab your normal wad amount and then lay it out and see how many squares you typically use. How much do you REALLY need to use? You want something to keep your hands clean. Folders, do you fold where the little perforation line is? OK, personal time. Folders in our family and we used to fold on the line where we are "supposed to". But those squares keep getting bigger and bigger. Guess why? If the manufacturer can get you to fold more paper, they get to sell you more and that, my dear friends, is Economics 101: make more money.

We have experimented with the Cottonelle and you can use exactly 3 squares folded into fourths and get clean. Unless of course, there is something extra messy. Then you may need 2 of the 3 square folds. Don't be shocked. I said we were going to talk about going, right?

The four of us live in our camper and really, probably use our personal bathroom as much as any family living in a house - if not more. We end up going through about 1 roll every 6-7 days. I think we're doing pretty good. Now, teaching the kids is a challenge in itself, but explain why you are conserving ... money, septic/camper tank, the earth, etc, and they will join in on the adventure.

Thoughts? Comments? How much tp do you go through in a week?