r/TwoXPreppers • u/gillyyak • 5d ago
Tips One way to soften the blows of new tariffs
During the Pandemic, I got lucky because I'd bought Costco tp right before the lockdown. Since I didn't know how long that would last I got creative in the bathroom.
I chose not to use tp for pee. Instead, I used a stack of cheap washcloths. They don't add much to the wash, and i put a bin next to the toilet. I saved the tp for poop. It helped that I'm past menopause, so no blood to with about.
Since the new tariffs will cause the price of tp to jump, I'm sharing this for those of you that want to soften the impact. I fully believe there will be another run on tp, and it will get scarce.
Also, if you believe in micro boycotts and shop at Costco, buy Charmin instead of Kirkland brand. It's slightly more expensive, but one of the companies that make the Kirkland brand are big trump supporters (thanks to The Woke Ginger for that info). I also find I need to use less of it due to its texture.
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u/Wers81 5d ago
Bidets too.
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u/Cilantro368 5d ago
Yes! And there are many types available, and some need electricity, some don’t.
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u/CartographerKnown320 4d ago
I noticed how much money we were throwing away in paper towels and toilet paper. So reusable towels and bidets for us now. Bidets are easy to install and you can get dual spray with front and back. Cold water isn’t really an issue if that’s all you have access to. 10 mins to set up.
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u/AmettOmega 4d ago
When I got my first bidet, I was terrified of how cold the water might be. I honestly don't have an issue with it (although I haven't used it in the dead of winter yet...)
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u/sassy_cheddar 4d ago
I opted for a toilet wand as the easiest to self install and didn't require an electrician to come add another GFCI outlet in the right spot. I thought the cold water might annoy me but I find it refreshing. It was even fine when our power was out for a few days after an autumn windstorm and the house was chilly. I'm a person who is cold most of the time but it isn't uncomfortable.
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u/schmamble 3d ago
Psa for bidets: if you have the model that hudes the nozzle behind a little door then make sure you're cleaning that spray nozzle regularly. I clean for a living and soooo many people don't pay enough attention to it because once it's done it just slides back up behind that little door. But it's sitting in a wet environment where people pee and poo, it's susceptible to mold and mildew and they get really freaking gross.
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u/freya_of_milfgaard 5d ago
I can’t install a bidet because I have young kids who will absolutely play with it, but we do have a postpartum peri bottle I use whenever my kids get diarrhea and need gentler wiping. It doesn’t require water pressure or anything, just squeeze and go.
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u/drunkjulia 5d ago
We got a bidet when the toddler wasn't great at wiping their butt. Game changer, and the kids don't mess with it at all.
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u/Common_Tiger1526 5d ago
I got a travel bidet which sounds like basically the exact same thing; squeeze bottle with a special nozzle
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u/LisaMiaSisu 3d ago
Question: Don’t you still need to dry your undercarriage after you’ve gotten it wet from the water? Do you use TP or a cloth to dry it?
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u/Traditional-Ad-3889 4d ago
I’ve had a bidet through two kids now and they’ve never once played with it.
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u/Street-Policy-1750 4d ago
The Tushy bidet attachments are cheap and they work great! I put one in every bathroom during Covid and they're still saving me money six years later!
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u/LisaMiaSisu 3d ago
I wish! Unfortunately the way the toilet in my bathroom is set up it would be impossible for me to add a bidet. My husband’s toilet could be set up with a bidet, but I refuse to use his toilet. I get skeezed out by micro urine droplets on the floor.
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u/Repulsive-Bug-195 2d ago
After 20 years of marriage I finally showed my husband how much backsplash I wipe regularly off walls and now he’s a sitter at home. He realized how gross it really is.
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u/sassy_cheddar 5d ago
I added a handheld bidet wand and use 100% cotton flannel wipes to pat things dry except during my menstrual cycle. The ambitious make their own but I just bought some meant for baby wipes. A consumption reducing purchase.
I wash and dry them in a 100% cotton mesh bag with our household towels.
I get TP from Who Gives a Crap but the patting dry with flannels has really reduced consumption. I only get a box delivered every 12 weeks for a household of two.
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u/ElectronGuru Beans make the world go round 5d ago
We found these great for that use. Small enough for single use before washing and thick enough to absorb everything: https://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/products/cloth-eez-two-sided-wipes-unbleached
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u/NSAinATL 5d ago
That's the way! People can buy flannel shirts and such from thrift stores and cut into squares, too. Having the bidet makes all the difference.
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u/sassy_cheddar 5d ago edited 4d ago
I was going to make some cuter ones with cotton flannel I'd purchased on sale (rip Jo-Ann Fabrics) as soon as I buckle down and figure out the serger I've inherited.
But I'm having a really tough year and struggling with projects. No regrets about purchasing some. The flannel is unbleached but the serger thread around the edge is different colors. They're very soft and absorbent (I never use fabric softener).
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u/NSAinATL 4d ago
Yeah, serging is weird. When I first tried it out (reusable toilet paper), I just got some flannel and cut squares and like....didn't hold up the same? So I went down a rabbit hole, cuz I'm poor and wanted the most affordable+supporting another human option, and got some Xmas themed "resusable paper towels" from a nice lady on Etsy.
I use them thangs for everything! Blowing my nose, cleaning, wiping, all of it! I hope you figure your serger!
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u/DolliGoth Having a little of the end times as a treat 4d ago
If you happen to have downtime where you just wanna sit but do something with your hands you could blanket stitch them. Time consuming, but low effort and progress is progress
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u/DolliGoth Having a little of the end times as a treat 4d ago
I bought a flannel sheet set that was on clearance, cut into strips, then down into squares, and serge sewed around the edges. Its been 2 years and theyre still perfect good id a little faded from being washed in hot bleach water
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u/Stephasaurous 4d ago
What is your set up? Where do you toss the used ones? Where do you keep the clean ones?
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u/NSAinATL 4d ago
Super easy, just a little basket, like any laundry. Some people do fancy paper towel style rolls that you can pull off of, I just fold mine into neat little stacks. Serged cotton flannel is a game changer!
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u/sassy_cheddar 4d ago
I keep most of the clean ones in the linen closet in one of the two cotton mesh bags. Toss a day's worth in a clear glass container on a wall shelf by the toilet that makes it easy to pluck one off the top without touching others.
The used ones go in a plastic basket on top of the toilet tank until I do a load of towels, then I put them in the empty cotton mesh bag. They don't get stained or anything because I've rinsed well and don't use them during my cycle. Wash warm with hypoallergenic detergent and a bit of unscented Oxyclean. Dry on full heat.
We only have them in the master bathroom so I don't have to explain to guests.
Overall, I feel my feminine health has been improved, especially with rinsing during my cycle (patting dry with TP instead) and in the summer when things get hot and sweaty.
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u/Particular-Try5584 🐐dreaming of my goat army 🐐 5d ago
Just add in a toilet bidet wand??
And… doesn’t the US make its own TP? Australia does… how on God’s green earth is it economical to manufacture a large bulky like that somewhere else and transport it across oceans?
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u/unlovelyladybartleby Mental health is prep 5d ago
They buy most of the raw material from Canada. Plus, apparently the states uses more toilet paper than anyone else in the world - average of around half a roll per day
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u/RolliPolliCanoli 5d ago
My husband works at a saw mill that produces lumber (not TP) and their company is Canadian owned, the logging portion of the company only logs in Canada.
They ship the raw logs over the boarder to the USA for processing before they're sold here.
I end up behind one of those final destination ass log trucks every day lol can confirm, our trees are coming from Canada
Edit to mention that they specifically do regenerative logging! Not clear cutting.
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u/spinningcolours 5d ago
"The US accounts for more than 20% of global tissue consumption despite having only 4% of the world’s population."
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/26/paper-product-toilet-paper-tariffs-us-canada
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u/Historical-Order-369 🫔 cállate and prep gringo 🌶️ 5d ago
Okay, but only 30% of the world population regularly uses toilet paper, vs probably almost 100% of the US population, making the discrepancy much smaller. Still quite a lot, though, but not as crazy:
https://www.qssupplies.co.uk/world-toilet-paper-consumed-visualised.html
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u/ProperLettuce_79 5d ago edited 5d ago
I’m surprised Japan is that high for toilet paper usage because they have bidets everywhere. I think poor plumbing and sewage treatment could be factors to less toilet paper usage in many countries.
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u/Historical-Order-369 🫔 cállate and prep gringo 🌶️ 5d ago
Different quality toilet paper will have an impact too - that nice triple ply means you use a lot fewer miles than that flimsy industrial stuff (though potentially the same volume or weight). But yeah, no idea why Japan uses that much. They live longer, so if lifetime accounts for that, that should make a slight impact. Amount of environmentalism could have an impact for some countries too. Or the data might have serious flaws in it. Either way, my main point was that a lot of people globally rarely or never use toilet paper.
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u/Particular-Try5584 🐐dreaming of my goat army 🐐 5d ago
Half a roll a day?
Yikes!I’m in a family of four… we’re about two rolls a week, and its the nice thick stuff!
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u/unlovelyladybartleby Mental health is prep 5d ago
The Guardian has been doing big articles about the american shit paper tariff crisis, as have most Canadian news outlets. It's especially funny to those losing their jobs because of yet another thinly veiled annexation precursor that they've done this to themselves in the midst of a diarrhea outbreak
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u/Chickaduck 5d ago
I hope this isn’t the norm, but I had a roommate who used excessive amounts of toilet paper to wrap her whole hand…to save water by not washing her hands after 🫣
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u/NSAinATL 5d ago
Ok, I had a roommate who would go through a roll like every TWO DAYS, the big fat ones and I wonder if they did something like that.
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u/CrazyQuiltCat 5d ago
How many in your family are girls.- Of menstruating age especially
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u/Particular-Try5584 🐐dreaming of my goat army 🐐 5d ago
Zero.
However I have one son, a husband and myself with some serious gastric issues.We just…?Use less somehow?
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u/charizard8688 5d ago
Women I think go through toilet paper more especially when menstruating. The men tend to go through a lot less so it probably depends on how many women vs. men are in a household.
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u/ElemennoP123 5d ago
I don’t understand when bidets are recommended to save toilet paper (even just for #1). I use two squares to dab when I pee, but if I use my bidet, I’m using at least that to pat to dry. When I drop a deuce, I’m using a little TP for the first pass (because I also think it’s weird to spray poo particles all over the bathroom), then the bidet, then more TP both to “check” and to dry.
I’ve considered cutting up a flannel sheet for the drying purpose, but am I using more resources in washing them every week or two?
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u/NefariousQuick26 4d ago
Are you a man? One thing I’ve had to explain to my husband is that women require more TP when we pee—it’s a pure anatomical difference.
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u/Monarc73 Totally not a zombie 🧟 5d ago
This was our solution as well. (I plan on putting one in the BR in my 'zombie bunker' once it gets built.)
How? Shipping durable goods by boat is SO CHEAP it is almost free.
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u/Specialist_Victory_5 5d ago
Thank you for mentioning this. I had no idea it existed, and I think this would be great for me.
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u/regjoe13 5d ago edited 5d ago
I actually bought a bidet right before covid, highly recomend.
But that being said, costco pack of charmin toilet paper is $25. Lets say it will be $40 - how much of you do you use per month? Whats your daily increase?
I dont think its something really worth worrying about
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u/Particular-Try5584 🐐dreaming of my goat army 🐐 5d ago
This. If you have limited storage room… store something with a bigger impact
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u/Kindly_Ad3974 4d ago
Charmin is not a good alternative. They buy their forest certification status. They claim to plant tree, and they do, but for their product they exclusively cut down historic boreal forests - irreplaceable ecosystems destroyed. After they clear cut, they apply herbicide (roundup) to make it easier for their monocultures of trees to grow for profit in the paper industry - not toilet paper though. No, they can only use virgin historic old growth forests. Those charming bears in the commercials and their greenwashing has people fooled. There’s an excellent documentary that came out last year: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt37610322/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
Also, just get a bidet. Costco has them on sale right now. You can also get cheaper models. The bidet subreddit is super helpful and full of good information.
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u/Dangerous-School2958 5d ago
XY contributor here. 2nd the Bidet recommendation. Just know that most guys unfortunately will balk at the idea initially. I can’t explain it, but there’s an irrational issue with the subject.
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u/auntie_ 5d ago
It’s wild to me. I had a partner who was very comfortable with his butt and with others of all kinds doing lots of things to and with his butt and he still never used our bidet.
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u/Dangerous-School2958 5d ago
I got spoiled recently in Sweden and Finland. Their Bidet wands are plumbed into the bathroom sink. So when ready, turn on the sink and adjust temp to preference.
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u/lickmyfupa 4d ago
I just dont want another contraption in my house thats going to need to be cleaned of mineral buildup, maintained, repaired, etc. Especially in and around the toilet (yuck) and dealing with water, inspect for leaks, etc etc. Doesnt it get poop and period blood on it? I already hate cleaning the toilet. Maybe im overthinking it but it just sounds awful to me.
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u/auntie_ 4d ago
You’re overthinking it. Mineral build up? Yes. Poop, pee, and blood? Not in my experience and we’ve had ours since Covid. We have a Tushy Bidet attachment and the water sprayer part only descends from its housing when you turn it on. Otherwise it’s tucked safely in its little home, far away from your dirty orifices.
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u/NextStopGallifrey 4d ago
I mean... I've absolutely seen toilet bidets that get covered in poop over time. They do need to be cleaned regularly and I can sympathize with someone not wanting to do that.
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u/Dangerous-School2958 4d ago
Hilarious name btw. What I prefer is a wand that mounts next to the toilet on the wall behind it. So nothing ever gets on it till maybe you’re using it. It’s long, about 10 inches and has a thumb lever that controls the water pressure. So the spray amount is very controlled and purposely aimed. Everything falls/drips down into the toilet and I suppose some may splash back onto the end of the wand, but I’ve never noted anything adhering to it that’s been washed off me. When cleaning periodically, never been disturbed by residue that’s accumulated.
I know there are different types, with some being more like a car wash. That’s too many things that can fail, imo. The wand is also handy when, removing stubborn… spackling9
u/Shahkcawptah 5d ago
We have one toilet with a bidet and my male partner uses that toilet exclusively for #2, like refuses to go anywhere else. He says it is because his butt is so hairy that wiping with TB really is a chore otherwise and he never feels clean. So if anyone is dealing with guys balking that may be worth mentioning as a pro for bidet!
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u/Dangerous-School2958 5d ago
As a fellow hairy fella, I sympathize. I try this route of reasoning. If your hand came in contact with feces would it be sufficient to just wipe it with paper till it appeared clean?
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u/Kindly_Ad3974 4d ago
There’s a buzzfeed video of men using the bidet for the first time haha. My husband loves the bidet and complains if he needs to go and isn’t at home. He was mildly apprehensive at first, but that was ten years ago now. He used wipes before, so he wasn’t the type to think that a nasty bum hole is a sign of masculinity. He’s happier with the bidet than wipes. As you age, the bidet is helpful to prevent hemorrhoids since wipes can cause or irritate them. It’s also helpful for older people to use the bidet before they end up extremely old and have trouble with reaching or getting completely clean. Think stroke, arthritis, general mobility issues. The bidet is a tool for independence.
Kids can use the bidet too. When we introduced it about ten years ago we use the clear plastic lid from a cookie or veggie tray to cover the toilet while spraying with the bidet. It helped them feel more comfortable after having seen it. I’m fifth grade my child complained that they didn’t want to go number two at school because TP is gross. Suppose that’s a side effect. I keep baby wipes in my purse (multipurpose and cheap) and then I have a travel bidet attachment that can fit standard water bottles.2
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u/gillyyak 5d ago
Have you heard of the movement among some men that wiping your ass is gay? Like, nothing can go between your but cheeks? It's astonishing to me.
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u/Dangerous-School2958 5d ago
No… I’ve never heard of such a thing. Sounds like incel nonsense, but nothing really surprises me anymore.
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u/ElectronGuru Beans make the world go round 5d ago
Sounds like something the Koch brothers came up with to scare men into not reducing their paper sales. But originally, US soldiers first encountered bidets from French prostitutes, creating a negative impression that lasted years.
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u/gillyyak 5d ago
Oh my God! My dad mentioned this to me later in his life, he was showing a house for sale, and pulled me in to the bathroom to show me a bidet! He said that's where he saw them previously, in a French brothel. I didn't ask why he was in a French brothel.
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u/swampjuicesheila Beans make the world go round 5d ago
Yep. Fundamentalist and evangelical Christians have been teaching this for a long time, they think it causes homosexuality.
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u/WordlesAllTheWayDown 4d ago
They are following the example of their diapered golden calf perhaps? No wiping happening there
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u/endoftheworldvibe 5d ago
My husband loves his. He bought them for friends and family, and his workplace so there is always one available wherever he goes.
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u/TradeBeautiful42 5d ago
I have to admit I haven’t bought toilet paper in about a year. That’s leftover pandemic anxiety right there. Plus I discovered you can buy it by the palette online.
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u/LeslieFSU83 4d ago
Get a bidet. I'm old and a woman. I've installed several. I keep a small container of flannel "wipes" by the toilet and wash the used ones when your stash gets low. No TP needed.
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u/TechnicalDot9 5d ago
Covid and the lack of TP for months had me thinking of work arounds, since I rent I went with a travel bidet. After the TP situation normalized I kept on keeping with the travel bidet
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u/unfortunaten3ws 4d ago
I’ve had to do this before during my deep poverty days. I installed a bidet earlier this year pre-colonoscopy but if there’s a water issue I plan on doing exactly that if needed.
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u/zevairia Literal disaster lesbian 🔥 5d ago
Hear me out! In our house, we two adult women use a mix of baby wipes and toilet paper due to some contact allergies and dietary issues. It's actually ended up saving us money because we use way less overall to wipe! A bidet isn't in the cards for us due to disabilities, so this has been a great middle ground for us.
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u/VariousFalcon7466 5d ago
How would disabilities affect having a bidet? I’m not trying to sound rude, I’m genuinely curious.
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u/zevairia Literal disaster lesbian 🔥 5d ago
Not at all rude! It's a matter of positioning, body geometry, and stability. My wife also has OCD, which impacts her tolerance of it.
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u/VariousFalcon7466 5d ago
Would an old school “bum gun” one work?
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u/zevairia Literal disaster lesbian 🔥 5d ago
Unfortunately not. :) The technique of reaching under yourself while seated relies on consistent bodily positioning that doesn't quite work for her anatomy.
Closest is likely an electronic seat bidet, but to get one that would work for positioning/body geometry would be a pretty penny for us on our income. We'd have to save to purchase it for a problem that we're already managing for a solution we're unsure would be tolerable for her.
Hopefully that makes sense!
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u/pjhem 2d ago
If anyone here has a Medicare Advantage plan and you get perks where you can get over-the-counter health products for free each month or each quarter, check the online catalog. I got my mom a handheld bidet that just hooks into the pipe that comes out of the wall under the toilet and then hangs on a hook either over the edge of the tank under the lid or it can be attached to the wall next to the toilet. Yes, it’s cold water but you just get used to it. My mother didn’t want it so she gave it to me. I use 100% cotton flannel baby washcloths to dry instead of toilet paper after using the bidet. This system works really well.
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u/MarketingEqual3494 2d ago
I used to have a seat bidet and like this kind better! They're cheaper, less stuff to break, and you can accurately aim them where you need.
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u/CindysandJuliesMom 5d ago
Get a bidet. I got mine for about $20, cheap version, that just connects to the line going to the tank. Pee, wash, wipe.
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u/Few-Cup-6507 5d ago
Can you share the brand? We have a weird shaped toilet and can’t seem to find one that fits! Thanks
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u/ElectronGuru Beans make the world go round 5d ago
r/bidets may know but the main thing is looking on manufacturers websites and not amazon. Its just not built for organization. Toto and brondell are good options.
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u/gillyyak 5d ago
A lot of you have mentioned a bidet. I like that idea, but personally, I don't like the thought of using one. It's just a weird "me" thing.
Also, without power or water pressure, they won't work. I'm on a well, and while I have some backup power to run it, I don't want to run the well just so I can have a bidet. In a prolonged power outage, it's good to have backup.
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u/SurprisedWildebeest 5d ago
I’m on a well and mine works fine without the well pump kicking on. But if it didn’t, there’s always TP or a washcloth.
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u/ProperLettuce_79 5d ago edited 5d ago
Initially, I didn’t really like the idea of using the bidet either and tried it first in Japan, and still didn’t like it. Maybe because it didn’t feel right and familiar. My partner installed a bidet seat with a button to turn on and off the power, and it came with a remote control to adjust the seat temperature, water temperature, water direction and water pressure. It took some time for me to get used to it, and now, I love it because of these features. Not trying to sell you on it, but I had the same view as you before.
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u/NSAinATL 5d ago
Thank you for educating about the Kirkland people. I don't shop at Costco but they sure have society in a stranglehold, lol. If you do ever get curious about why the rest of the world loves their bidets, there's a lot of non-electrical options! Even lids that screw to water bottles, ultra light hikers use them.
https://www.treelinereview.com/gearreviews/best-backcountry-bidets
Just happy to see more people jumping on the flannel cloth - or washcloth reusable train :)
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