Reader’s Story: How to save money on toilet paper

Rachel Hazelwood 21st Mar 2023 No Comments

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Money saving hack. Following on from last week’s reader’s story from Lisette, this week we’d like to introduce you to Helen from Dorset who has an ingenious way of saving money on toilet paper…

Money Saving Hack: How to use old clothes as toilet paper

Ok so this may not be for everything but we think that Helen’s idea is definitely worth sharing.

After Helen retired and was spending more time at home, she was really shocked by how much she was spending on toilet paper. Traditional toilet paper is – for obvious reasons! – a single use item and with the cost of living crisis it’s getting more and more expensive.

Helen decided to see if this was one of the areas in her house where she could save money by finding a reusable solution.

” I cut up a pair of old jersey cotton pyjamas (old t-shirts would do just as well, but I would suggest keeping to light colours) into toilet paper sized pieces. Hemmed them on the zig-zag setting on the sewing machine to stop fraying. I roll them up and put them in a pot on the toilet.”

a neat stack of Helen’s “toilet paper”.

As Helen points out, this reusable toilet paper is not appropriate for every function (!) but better than toilet paper at drying that very important area! Helen pops the used squares into a small flip bin and adds these to her weekly washing load in a washing bag.

Helen adds, “I first tried cutting up an old towel, but I found that the material was very thick and took a lot a of drying. I’m not sure how the costs of buying toilet paper, compare with adding a further item of clothing to your weekly wash, but I have been doing this for years now, and halved my use of toilet paper.”

Thank you Helen. We think this is a great idea. According to Statista, the average British household spends an average of 85p per week per person on toilet paper. So according to Helen, she is saving over 40p per week and over £22 per year just by being inventive and frugal.

Talking of being inventive and frugal, Helen has another two top tips.

Fill a thermos with warm water in the morning to use during the day to wash your hands. This is particular useful for anyone with a combi boiler which has to fire every time you want hot water.
Use cardboard instead of shop bought insoles in your shoes! Not only will this save you money, it’s better for the environment too.

If you also have an interesting way you have made or saved some money recently then click here to find out how to send us your story and earn £25 for your own “Reader’s Story”.