For years, I never gave much thought to toilet paper. I'd grab whatever was on sale at the grocery store and move on. But after realizing I was spending close to $200 a year replacing rolls that seemed to disappear surprisingly fast, I started wondering if there was actually a better option.
Why I Was Overspending on Toilet Paper
I always used to default to Charmin because it's what I always found at the grocery store. Then I tried Cottonelle, which was scratchy, and then PlantPaper as a better eco-friendly alternative, but it was too expensive. That got me wondering: most people don't really care about toilet paper, so they're probably overspending simply because it's the easiest choice. I also figured there had to be some real consumer research on which brand is actually the best. There wasn't. And that's what led me here!
For 6 months, I tested all of the top toilet paper brands and rated them on cost, safety, softness, and environmental impact. After more trips to the bathroom than I'd like to admit (and enough time on the toilet to qualify as a part-time job), here are my final rankings (hint: Who Gives A Crap was my winner):
Who Gives A Crap was far and away my winner. While the cost upfront may seem like more, because the rolls last longer, I wasn't replacing them nearly as often, which means I was spending less and it was also one less thing on my to-do (thank god). After 6 months, I only went through about half of my 48 roll box from Who Gives A Crap , which brings my total cost on toilet paper for a year to be ~$65 (over $100 saved!). Add in the soft bamboo paper, recycled packaging, and the company's commitment to giving back, and it's easy to see why so many people have made the switch. If you're still buying whatever's on the grocery store shelf, it might be worth doing the math yourself.
