Tips like these helped us pay off $127K in debt. You can read our story in Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After.
Everybody uses it. Everybody buys it (ok, so almost everybody but I can’t quite go to that frugal place). Nobody wants to talk about how much it costs or how you can save money on toilet paper, because let’s face it it’s a little “eewww” and embarrassing. Being embarrassed never stopped me from saving you money before and it’s not going to stop me now.
After we paid off $127K in debt, the King of Free declared the Queendom to be a “prison paper” free zone (go ahead and laugh, it’s OK). While we were paying off debt, I bought the absolute cheapest toilet paper I could find. Since we were operating on a very small budget, there wasn’t much room for stockpiling and I bought the flimsy 1 ply stuff I could find at the cheapest bottom dollar (like what I did there?) price. While we don’t purchase that particular brand anymore (free at last in more ways than one!), we still maximize our dollars when it comes to TP. Here are a few simple tips to consider when you want to save money on toilet paper.
Coupons
Toilet paper is one item you should never buy without coupons. If you don’t have a coupon from the Sunday paper, be sure to search printable internet coupons for Toilet Paper. Even if you’re buying store brands, it’s wise to check mPerks or Target’s Cartwheel to see if there’s a digital coupon available for TP. You should never pay sticker price for toilet paper.
Brand Loyal?
At some point, you’ll have to consider whether or not you’ll be brand loyal when it comes to toilet paper. Since our “roughing it” days, we have become toilet paper snobs. We have a particular brand we like, and so I’m going to always seek and find deals for that brand. Maybe it doesn’t matter to you, though. It’s ok either way, just consider whether or not you’ve got a Team TP fav before you begin searching for the best deal.
Amazon Subscribe & Save
The majority of our TP is purchased from Amazon Subscribe & Save. If I do it right, sometimes I can score a better deal online than I can in stores and with coupons. Typically I begin by scanning Amazon’s coupons (did you know that Amazon has coupons?!) for toilet paper coupons. After “clipping” the coupons, I begin to scan which items are also Subscribe & Save items. Typically many of the most popular coupons are ones that can be paired with Subscribe & Save deals. Once I match a coupon to a Subscribe & Save deal, I click to subscribe. This will save an additional 5% off of the list price. I aim for five Subscribe & Save items per month because that will drop the price of each item by 15%. The discount will be reflected on all five after you meet the minimum. Each item beyond five will also be a 15% savings on list price. The items will ship once a month on an assigned date. After they ship, you want to be sure to cancel the subscription. Subscribe & Save prices are not locked in at the same rate each month, so you don’t want it to inadvertently ship at a much higher rate. Typically, I only have to order toilet paper a couple of times a year thanks to these deals. For more on Subscribe & Save, check out: How to Score the Best Amazon Subscribe and Save Deals.
Go Generic
If you’re looking to pinch a few pennies, it might be a good idea to check out the generic brands of TP. Not all generic toilet paper is “prison paper,” I promise. As is the case with many generic products, the quality is typically similar with different packaging. Again, if you pair store coupons like Target’s printable coupons or Cartwheel or Meijer’s mPerks, you can further your savings.
Under or Over
The direction toilet paper flows off the roll has known to cause serious marital disputes. The argument has been made that an under approach is more cost effective because it prevents you from tearing off too much. I realize I am opening up myself to hate comments here by even suggesting the notion but it might be worth a change to see if it really does make a difference for you.
What’s your best budget tip when it comes to saving money on toilet paper?
My book is now available: Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After. You can also check out Inspiration to Pay Off Debt: 30 Days of Encouragement from the Queen of Free
This post contains an affiliate link. That means when you get a great deal or maybe even something for free, you also help our family pay off our mortgage early. And for that, we royally thank you!
