December 09, 2010

The Great Toilet Paper Dilemma

Do you find it hard to compare toilet paper prices from one brand to the next?   This is a hard one.  Recently there was a brand of toilet paper on sale for $4.88 for a 12 double roll pack.  Without a coupon I felt this would be a good deal, but when I got to the store I read that it was two-ply with only 176 sheets per roll.  I think the brand was Cottonelle.  People were grabbing the 4 package limit as if it was gold.  I walked away.  Why?  My default toilet paper brand is Charmin Basic.  I can get a 12 double roll package on sale in the summer for $4.99.  The rolls are one ply, but they are thick and there is 308 sheets per roll.  I have about 12 packages of these in my basement pantry right now that I purchased last summer.  For our family that is a much better deal.

I had bought other brands before that are 2 ply but they don't last as long as my family pulls out the sheets or the same length and they don't pay attention to whether it is 1 ply or 2 ply. 

Why is it that the manufacturers must make things so difficult?  Why even 308 sheets and why not 300 sheets per roll?  Why 176 sheets and not 175 sheets per roll?  It is hard to compare when there is a sale so I finally came down to what I again refer to as my default toilet paper brand.  Charmin Basic works for us and is a decent quality product that lasts.

Another brand I like is Angel Soft.  Their toilet paper is 2-ply and has 469 sheets per double roll which is thicker and more sheets than the Charmin.  However, Angel Soft is rarely on sale in our area so my money is best spent on the Charmin Basic.

So what does this mean?  You can pull your hair out trying to compare prices of toilet paper so I recommend picking one brand that you like and stocking up on that brand when it is on sale. 

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's exactly what I do, it gets far too complicated :)

Elizabeth said...

I don't compare prices on toilet paper anymore. It's just too confusing. As well as useless, as every single brand of toilet paper is different. We always go back to Scott Tissue toilet paper. It may be a bit rougher (you get used to it) but it lasts and lasts. We have tried brands such as Charmin and Angel Soft and a roll of it lasts just about a day here in a 5 family household. Scott Tissue lasts at least 3-4 days here. So while it is more expensive to buy it lasts much longer...therefore cheaper in the long run for us. I found that a purple package bought at Hy-Vee (can't remember the brand) is fairly similar to Scott Tissue and a bit less expensive, but I typically wait for the Scott Tissue to go on sale at Fareway (I think I recently paid $6.99 for a 12 pack). I'm pretty brand loyal on this.

Maureen said...

Strange that you should be hosting the great toilet roll debate this week, as I bought what I believe to be the best bargain in loo rolls.


Normally I buy Aldi,s 2ply toilet paper and a 6 pack costs $2.99 or 50c a roll we usually stock up 4 packs at a time and the cost to the household budget is $12

Today in Woolworths I bought 2 packets of Purex 2 ply toilet paper for $4.50 each for 12 rolls at 37.5c a roll or a total of $9

A saving of $3, or a pack of Aldi,s range free. And you know we Frugalistas love FREE.

I have tried 1 ply but the family hate it, and Purex is all white, thick and smells good. Next time I see this special on I will really stock up.

Milehimama @ Mama Says said...

compare it by the total sq. feet. All toilet paper is basically the same width.

I buy Scott (or store brand) 1000 rolls, because it's by far the cheapest per square foot and there are 9 people using it at my house- with smaller rolls we have to change the roll twice a day!