My parents were relatively frugal people when I was growing up. My brother and I were constantly reminded to turn off the light when we left the room, close doors when the heat or air conditioning was on, not to waste things in general, and although many things have been forgotten from my childhood I distinctly remember the conversation that I had with my mom about toilet paper.
She discovered that I was pulling a bunch of toilet paper off of the roll when I was doing my business. As toilet paper prices were increasing, she made it very clear that I was not to use more than three sheets per pass. "Toilet paper is expensive, and you need to learn to wipe gently so your fingers don't go through. More than three squares is a waste."
Now that I'm an adult, I've learned to let go of some things that were burned into my head as an adult. I will leave a light on for Lucky even though it is a waste of money. I am not the most efficient with use of the heat and air conditioning. But at the same time, I tried bottled water and decided it was a waste of money so I drink tap water. And, I still use three sheets of toilet paper per pass.
I'd pass the tradition on to my child... but Lucky doesn't use toilet paper.
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| Three sheets per pass. My mom made me do it. |