How to Stockpile Cheap Toilet Paper

Toilet paper is an essential household item that you just can’t live without.  Did you know that consumers use an average of 8.6 sheets every time they use the bathroom?  This is a total of 57 sheets per day per person or 399 sheets per week, which is 1.5 rolls per week depending on the number of sheets per roll you have.  If you have kids at home you’ll need even more! Multiply by the number of kids you have and you are looking at an annual total of 20,805 sheets per person.  Toilet paper can add up very quickly if you don’t know when to buy it and how to get it for the cheapest possible price.

Toilet paper packages and prices vary dramatically by retailer.  There are very few common product packages across retailers, which is by design especially in today’s price transparent environment where all prices are visible online.  The retailers don’t want you to be able to compare toilet paper prices directly because they know you’ll likely drive to get the cheapest toilet paper.  So, they make it as hard as possible by offering unique sku’s with variable prices and sizes.

There are a few simple tips you can follow to get the cheapest toilet paper and create a stockpile.  For my family of 5, I like to have at least 10 packages of 12 pack toilet paper on hand at any given time.  That’s 120 rolls, which  is 24 rolls per person that should last 3 months.  In the event of an emergency, I always have 3 months worth of toilet paper on hand!

How do you build a toilet paper stockpile?  Follow these 6 tips.

Compare price per square foot

Toilet paper prices can’t be compared per roll or per package, because of double rolls, regular rolls, roll size, thickness, sheet count, etc. you actually have to look at the total square footage of each package to have an apples to apples comparison of toilet paper costs.  Calculating the total cost per square foot of toilet paper is really easy – simply divide the final price by the total square feet on the package and you’ll have your price per square foot.

I’ve compared 8 popular brands sold at Safeway stores so you can see the price per square foot and the stock up prices you should take advantage of to get the cheapest toilet paper.  The stock up price reflects the typical price you can get by using coupons and shopping the sales at Safeway.

Toilet Paper Price Per Square Foot Comparison

Shop the sales

Never pay full price for toilet paper.  Safeway always has sales on toilet paper and as long as you plan ahead and buy it when it’s at the lowest price in the sales cycle, you will always be ahead and you will always have toilet paper on hand.  The key here is to buy when it’s on sale, not when you need it.  Savvy shoppers never need toilet paper, they always have it on hand and are adding to their stockpile every opportunity they get.

Because I’m a data person, I’ve compiled a quick chart to show you the sale price history of Cottonelle 12 packs at Safeway from April 2017 through February 2018.  You can see that Cottonelle went on sale for $5 or less 9 times in the last 15 months.  The average time between sales was 21 days.  There are almost always Cottonelle coupons available, so every month you have an opportunity to buy toilet paper on sale and to stock up at the stock up price of $.01 per square foot.  But don’t buy just one – buy the maximum that you can purchase at the lowest possible price.  Often times there are limits on the sales, so buy as many as you can with respect to the limits.

If you absolutely must buy toilet paper not on sale then the best brand is the Value Corner brand which is $4.99 for 12 2 ply sheets at Safeway.  The price per sq. ft is just $.012 and this toilet paper has 315 sheets per roll, so you won’t have to change to a new roll as frequently as you would with some other brands and the toilet paper is actually pretty soft, unlike the generic toilet papers of the past.

Forget brand loyalty

While manufacturers do a great job of convincing you one brand is softer or stronger or better than another, the way to maximize your savings on toilet paper is to ignore all the advertising hype and shop the cheapest brand you can buy and stock up when toilet paper is at the lowest price in the sales cycle.  Shop the store brands as those are often cheaper than the brand names with coupons and the quality is just as good!

Use printable or digital toilet paper coupons

There are always toilet paper coupons available for extra savings.  Be sure to check the Safeway Just for U app weekly, as well as the coupon database for newspaper coupons you can clip and the Coupons.com coupon gallery for printable toilet paper coupons.  You can typically print 2 of each coupon.   Manufacturers also have printable coupons available on their websites and those will also be displayed in the coupon database.  These companies have printable coupons online and you need to create an online account to print them:  Scott, Cottonelle, Charmin, Quilted Northern and Angel Soft.

Coupons powered by Coupons.com

 

Take advantage of Catalinas and instant savings promotions

Catalina coupons are a great way to save even more on toilet paper because they can be stacked with sale prices and manufacturer coupons.  A Catalina coupon is a checkout coupon that prints at the end of your transaction when you meet certain purchase criteria.  Kimberly Clark, the manufacturer of Scott, Cottonelle, Viva and Kleenex paper products frequently has Catalina promotions at Safeway, and you can get Scott or Cottonelle toilet paper for under $3.99 a pack when you take advantage of the Catalina offers.  We display all the active Catalina offers at Safeway on the Safeway Catalinas page, be sure to check the page often as new offers are added regularly.

In addition, P&G has instant savings promotions a few times a year where you can save an extra $5 instantly when you spend $25.  The terms and promotional products included change with every promotion, but if Charmin is one of your favorites, then stock up during these instant savings promotions for the best deals.

Stock up when toilet paper is $.015 or less per square foot

The cheapest toilet paper happens to be a generic store brand – the Kirkland brand toilet paper from Costco is $.012 per square foot everyday without any coupons.  But you have to buy 30 rolls at a time at a cost of $18.99 to get that price point.  The Safeway Value Corner brand is also $.012 per square foot everyday without sales and coupons, so there is no need to pay for a warehouse membership to get the cheapest toilet paper when you can buy an equivalent quality toilet paper at an equivalent price at your local grocery store.

Anytime you can get toilet paper for less than $.015, you’ll want to stock up!  Especially if you have a family, you likely go through a lot of toilet paper, so don’t overpay, start a stockpile and add to it every time the toilet paper prices are under $.015 per square foot.

What other tips do you have for getting cheap toilet paper?  Be sure to share in the comments below.

 

SuperSafeway is a blog devoted to helping you find the best deals at Safeway in the Denver division.  Every week we post a preview of the Safeway weekly ad and we slice and dice the ad and tell you the best deals at Safeway with and without coupons.  We also highlight the best month long deals from the Safeway Big Book of Savings.  For more low prices, check out Super Safeway’s weekly ad coupon matchup page. Want to stay updated on the best deals? If so, make sure to like Super Safeway on Facebook, join our Facebook group, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest and subscribe to our newsletter.

* Please note – Savings information is based on Colorado pricing and coupon doubling policy for the Denver Division which includes Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Wyoming and South Dakota. Your market may vary. Prices may vary per location*