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One would think that if people knew that a big storm was heading their way they would stock up on food, water, maybe even batteries for lights or a radio. But I found this interesting.I was reading a report the other day that was saying prior to Hurricanes Katrina (2005), Rita (2005), Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne (2004), Andrew (1992) before the Snow storms of 1978, 1996, 2010-11 and many other storms that are known to be heading into an area the first thing that the stores ran out of was toilet paper.

Yes, TOILET PAPER.

Now if it came down to it one can use a hand towel, a sponge, or even leaves which may not be a pleasant thought. But if you think ahead in an emergency you can have the comfort of toilet paper.

Before I go on, let me tell you that the economy has even hit toilet paper. There is still the same amount of sheets per roll but more and more brands that only came in double-ply are now selling single-ply, and the packages are not marked clearly. You have to look close to the packaging. Also the rolls are not as wide as they once was. I have a cabinet that, when I open a package of tp, I stack the loose rolls. I use to be able to get 3 rolls high and it would be a tight fit to the top of the cabinet. Now, I have about 1/2 inch clearance. That may not sound like much but the price has risen right along with food and fuel prices. I understand that the paper company is wanting to save money, but aren't they already doing that by using recycled paper? So you are not getting as much square footage of paper per roll as you got just 10 years ago.

How do you store a stock-pile of tp? Well there are many choices. If you live in an apartment you can choose use an extra room for all your storage (food and paper). That is the most common. Another idea I saw was a family that pulled their couch away from the wall just far enough to stack 1 package deep between the couch and wall, then they placed a piece of 1/4 plywood on top, a small table cloth and used it as a behind the couch table.

If someone lives in their own home they may not want to store any paper product in the basement because they have a tendency to be damp and nothing worse than trying to use damp tp, yuck. The same for a garage, barn, storage shed make sure they have been sealed and has a dehumidifier.

The space I like using is the attic crawl space. The crawl space has a tendency to be a lot drier, less likely for people to look up there if they are scavenging a home. And most important for me If you buy tp, paper towels, napkins ect... by the case having them placed in the attic crawlspace adds insulation to the home during the winter.

Have you thought about stocking up on Toilet Paper or any other paper product? If so where do you store yours? And what troubles have you ran into in trying to store your paper products?