By Chloe Setter
Chloe Setter, 31, is head of policy at a UK children’s charity. She lives in South West London.
I rather enjoy shopping for tissue products. I like my home comforts generally and this extends to tissue. It’s that time of year where everyone has a nasty cold and so I stock up on the soft tissues that contain balsam or aloe vera so as not to end up looking like Rudolf the red-nose reindeer on the commute to work! It really does make a difference and I feel it’s worth that extra little bit of money. I’m not fussed by brands – instead going for the supermarket versions of these products to cut costs a little.
With toilet roll, I purchase a supermarket own brand too (Sainsbury’s). It’s actually their ‘Basic’ range recycled paper. I always feel a little shabby buying it or if people see that’s what I buy but it’s actually good quality at a low price. Yes, it’s a little thinner but there’s a lot of paper on the roll and it is good value. Plus, I care about the tissue and paper I use being recycled and from sustainable sources. Some people I know buy one that includes ‘shea butter’. I think that’s taking things too far. Soft, yes, but buttery? No thanks! Nearly everyone I know buys some variety of Andrex toilet roll – it’s like a staple for most people in this country. But I like that I don’t follow the crowd and have found a cheaper alternative, even if I do hide the packaging in the bathroom!
I always buy my tissue products directly from shops, usually supermarkets or pharmacies. I’ve bought novelty tissues before, with patterns on or comedy toilet rolls as gifts (such as one featuring a Scrabble game oddly enough) but I stick to my usual habits most of the time. I use a lot of kitchen roll as I feel it’s a more hygienic option than dishcloths or tea towels. My Mum taught me to economise by ripping them in two (they only rip neatly if tearing from the perforated edge though!) and so I appease my minor guilt over using lots of kitchen roll by using half instead of one. I always feel rather lucky that I have access to the range of tissue products that are on sale in the UK, especially when I go abroad and some of the paper feels like sandpaper sometimes! It’s a luxury I can’t do without!
‘I like that I don’t follow the crowd and have found a cheaper alternative, even if I do hide the packaging in the bathroom!’
