When it comes to water, even if I am thirsty, I could wait a few more hours (in an emergency situation) before grabbing another bottled water. Now, when I need to go to the bathroom, I don't have the luxury of waiting a few hours. So I figured, for me anyway, it is more important to know how many rolls of toilet paper my household (just two of us and a few more when we have company over) consume in an average day.
I know that different brands of rolls have different capacities in square footage and that you have to consider whether 1-ply is acceptable or whether you are a 2-ply family.
That said, I took inventory of all the TP in our house on 3/17/20 and again today. In 70 days we used 37 rolls of TP, so .53 rolls per day. Now, if I look at a large package of TP I have a rough idea how long it should last. Also, in a short-term pinch (power outage due to a severe storm that might last a few days), I know how much TP I can give to friends, family and neighbors.
It was strange looking at a package of TP at the height of the COVID-19 scare and not feeling very sure about how long it would last. Like someone who just dropped a big number two, I feel better now!
P.S. What other items can you think of where it would be difficult to figure out how long they would last? I can make some rough calculations and estimates about food, but it might be difficult to know how much cash and silver to keep on hand for emergencies. Ditto perhaps for bullets.
