Are you buying extra toilet paper? If so, how much and why?

-- tp (or@not.tp), July 02, 1999

Answers

tp

Yes indeed, we have looked into essentials and bought your basic household items and bought extra.. but not any specific inventoried amount.. Figure 1.5 roll per month per person, 2 people 3 months.. 8 rolls..

-- Slammer (Slammer@Slama.Rama), July 02, 1999.

I buy one of those bulk packs that Cottonelle has so kindly produced everytime I go to the grocery store now. If I have too much, I'll just barter some for other needs.

Why? Because I like using it and I'd like to have some after my wife gets through using so much of it.

-- nothere nothere (notherethere@hotmail.com), July 02, 1999.

why buy t.p.?? because without it the shit gets under my fingernails

-- zoobie (zoobiezoob@yahoo.com), July 02, 1999.

Yummmmy

-- thanks for the (im@g.ery), July 02, 1999.

slam, you're kiddin right? 1.5 per person per month? wow. may i suggest some prunes or other fiber as additives to your diet. increase additional use slowly or kattie bar the door.

keep on keepin on (only more often).

-- corrine (corrine@iwaynet.net), July 02, 1999.

Slammer, you must be shitting little marbles my friend :>).

-- Daryll (twinck@wfeca.net), July 02, 1999.

On the question of how much to buy? How much do we use? Hand each family member their personal roll on Monday...tell them it has to last till the following Sunday. Increase interest in contest by taping a $10.00 bill to the bathroom mirror for the winner, i.e. the person with the biggest roll left on Sunday. The results will send you back to Wal-mart for some more T.P. after multiplying the results for the time frame you are attempting to cover, I am betting.

P.S. For GI's short on spending money, the obvious winner can make some extra money on the side. You can start selling squares at about a nickle each from about Friday on.

P.S.S. Of course, the winner maybe motivated to take the jackpot and return to their perfered discount store and purchase more T.P.

WARNING: Watch out for cheating! Examples: Hidden stashes of fast food napkins, family members with extremely dirty eye glasses, cooks suddenly not hungry on family tex-mex night (generally female family members)and alternate methods of blowing one's nose (especially among male family members) .

Your results may vary. :-)

-- Lilly (homesteader145@yahoo.com), July 02, 1999.

... as much as you can afford -- as much as you can store.

Why? If y2k hits the fan, tp will make a great barter item, as dried leaves remind too many people of their lousy vacation in France.

If nothing happens with y2k, you and your family will still use it ... even if it takes a few years.

It won't go bad unless you let it get wet. (I'm buying those jumbo packs and sealing them in Hefty trash bags.)

-- rick blaine (y2kazoo@hotmail.com), July 02, 1999.

corrine, haven't you seen the new triple-length rolls? One and half of those is over four of the regular.

-- - (-@-.-), July 02, 1999.

Learn to identify poison ivy and oak...if you plan to use leaves. When using a dollar do not use 3 quarters, two dimes and a nickel. When using TP take one square and wrap around your index finger. Corn cobs and the sears catalog are old fashioned. Call Johnny Carson to know when the panic will start.....Chief dirty bottom from the nowipee tribe.

-- tomuchtimeonmyhands (xx@yy.com), July 02, 1999.

At last count it was over 400 rolls. Boy, did we get carried away. But then you never know... maybe I should get some more...

-- can you (spare@a.square), July 02, 1999.

Lilly-What a hoot!

I especially liked your idea of selling the squares at a nickle apiece. Unfortunately, the male members of my family outnumber the females and they would win. Thus, the only logical and 'fair' way to do it would be to give the guys 1/2 of a roll and daughter and I one and a half rolls! (I don't have to explain that, do I?)

Linda

PS In answer to the original question, let's just say that the insulation in my attic has increased by several 'R' factors since the first of the year.

-- newbiebutnodummy (Linda@home.com), July 02, 1999.

I like it!

As a morph from the Great Depression v1 when the phrase was "brother can you spare a dime" to "brother can you spare a square"

Gotta ring to it.

-Greybear

-- Got Corn Cobs?

-- Greybear (greybear@home.com), July 02, 1999.

St. Gary once suggested bidets.

-- Mr. Mike (mikeabn@aol.com), July 02, 1999.

Thanks for the answers, folks!

(Anybody thought of buying toilet paper just in case the s**t hits the fan? You could wrap yourself in it like a mummy and. Could that be considered some kind of Y2k shield?)

-- tp (or@not.tp), July 02, 1999.

Thanks for the answers, folks!

(Anybody thought of buying toilet paper just in case the s**t hits the fan? You could wrap yourself in it like a mummy. Could that be considered some kind of Y2k shield?)

-- tp (or@not.tp), July 02, 1999.

Sorry for the double post! I'm new at this!

-- tp (or@not.tp), July 02, 1999.

Linda:

Thank you for pointing out the differences in toilet paper consumption for males versus females. I tried to explain this phenomenon to a certain poster who frequents this forum, but he didn't want to hear it. He already had more toilet paper in his cache than his family of 3 males and 1 female could use in a year, and I recently noticed that he purchased yet more.

Oh well...it's not like you won't use it SOMEDAY.

Anita

-- Anita (spoonera@msn.com), July 02, 1999.

Don't forget, all it takes is a few bad germs and the tp consumption will increase rapidly. We will all use it at some time so keep lots on hand. Even in good times, it's not fun to run out. How much do you need? Count all the used tubes in the bathroom trash each week. We have 200 rolls now and I plan to double it soon. Just waiting for some super sales.

-- Homeschooling Grandma (mlaymon@glenn-co.k12.ca.us), July 02, 1999.

We are on a septic system & very careful to only purchase tp that degrades rapidly in the system (ie; scott tissue, white only). It is more expensive, but larger rolls, trying to stock up with each trip to the market. Kmart has it on sale 12 for $6.00 sometimes.

-- Sammie Davis (sammie0X@hotmail.com), July 02, 1999.

I possess enough TP to carry my neighborhood through a major bout with diarrhea!

If you don't have TP, then use a bowl of clean water, wipe the orifice with your non-eating hand and remove the detritus.

Use dry leaves, grasses, rags or corncobs if you are squeamish about touching your anus. When times get rough, you will lose your hangups quickly.

The bottom line is to clean your bottom. This is VERY important.

Those who suffer from hemorrhoids are in a predicament. If you suffer from this ailment, then PLEASE stock up on appropriate medications!

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), July 03, 1999.

Yep. Have about 100 rolls stored. With the possibility of shipping disruptions (e.g., dock strikes), hurricanes, earthquakes, and Y2K, it just seems prudent.

-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), July 03, 1999.

My formula is one roll per person per week. That's if person only spends 2/3 time at home (still working).

double the amount if TSHTF (yes - pun intended) - because you will be spending more time at home.

-- justme (finally@home.com), July 03, 1999.

After using government issue TP for nine years, I love my Charmin. The TP issued in K or C Rats was designed for a hamster with a need for self inflicted pain. Probably have about 175 rolls at present but my stash keeps dwindling.

-- Lobo (atthelair@yahoo.com), July 03, 1999.

Please do not buy the John Wayne brand because it won't take any crap off anybody!

-- me (xx@yy.com), July 03, 1999.

I have switched name brands.... I descovered that Scott will out last any other name brand! Really. We have a family of 5, and would go thru about 3-4 rolls a week. Now we use only 1 roll of Scott a week. No one is complaining about the switch.

I bet I hold the record.....540 rolls. Of Scott no less. I shouldnt have to buy tp for 3 years. I hope.

-- bulldog (sniffin@around.com), July 03, 1999.

Gee, I don't know....let's see....(quick math...)

If I have 25 packages of 24 rolls each that gives me 600 rolls.

Now mind you, in 'normal' times we consistently have 3 or 4 of the big 24 roll packs....just something drilled into my head by my dear grandmother. "You'd feel pretty foolish if you ran out of toilet paper, now wouldn't you?" : )

One entire walk-in closet in a spare room is the "TP" closet.

I'll have to try Scott and see how we like it.

-- Wilferd (WilferdW@aol.com), July 03, 1999.

Greybear hit on the reason we're at over 200 rolls and are looking for another big sale: corncobs. I think I'm still traumatized from a very early childhood visit to some relatives where not only were the facilities outdoors, but corncobs were the "tool of choice". Before and since, I've used leaves, newspapers and magazines, scraps of cloth and even the shirt off my back. But never again corncobs!

Off to Wal Mart tonight! There's gotta be at least one brand to TP on sale there.

WW

-- Wildweasel (vtmldm@epix.net), July 03, 1999.

Gee... I would rather use snow and ice balls to wipe my arse...LOL DUH why not have a few cases in the closets? I mean it is not like your never gonna need it again?? only if ya die.. and then if that happens you will have a little something to leave the people you think are full of shit.

-- paraskivi bauxis semasogolou (pannesltd@aol.com), July 03, 1999.

Sorry, Bulldog. We have 1,020 rolls. No kidding.

-- Lawrence (not@this.time), July 06, 1999.

Yes, I am buying quite a bit when I see it at a good sale price. Couple hundred rolls I guess. Why? Because regardless of what happens, like any other necessities, it is a good investment. If Y2K hits bad, I'll be selling it to idiots for $10 a roll. If not, I'm going to use it anyway, and will avoid paying price increases for several years. This is an investment of my money that will probably pay better than any bank interest or stock dividend, and is a lot less risky.

-- @ (@@@.@), July 06, 1999.

Corrine, Ok so sue me,, my first estimate was off the cuff. I'm stingy.. er make that conservate, Figure you should get at least 40 pulls to the roll, 60 to the roll and a half (depends on the Pull I guess) 1 footers (3 sheets) vrs 8 inchers (2 4" sheets).. Ok, so lets be more exacting here. We'll Work the problem backwards, find out how many feet in the roll, divide by the length of your pull (haw, bet this gang never thought of that one) = # Pulls.. Figure two pulls to the interation and thats how many trips per roll your gonna get. Next, figure 1 person twice a day times the two pulls, you got four pulls per person per day. Ok, Divide number of pulls in roll by person pulls per day = life expectancy of roll in days. Divide by 28 (avg 4 weeks per month) = # months per roll at one person. Multiply this by the number of people in household, then that by number of months expected outage = required amount of rolls. Ok.. (So you guys out there doin the two footers gotta make a lifestyle change) Slamma Ramma

-- Slammer (Slammer@slamma.ramma), July 06, 1999.

I buy about 48 rolls each week -- 24 rolls of whatever is cheapest at Wal-Mart during my bi-weekly shopping.

Besides wanting to be sure that I have it should it become unavailable, it also tends to make the Most Commonly Barterable Items lists that I have seen on Y2K preparedness sites. (Makes sense to me!)

-- Jack (jsprat@eld.net), July 06, 1999.