Lol. I don’t know. And, I don’t want to know.
But, I DO know that my husband’s personal tube of 4.2 oz. Crest lasted him approximately 2 months and two weeks.
In November, when he needed a new tube of toothpaste, I selected one from my "drugstore bin" and put the date on it with a Sharpie. I told him to use it as normal, and let me know when it was time for a new tube.
I did this so I could estimate how long my toothpaste stash would last.
On average, in those 10 weeks, he must have used about .42 oz. per week.
52 weeks per year / 10 weeks per tube = 5.2 tubes (of 4.2 oz. paste) per year, or so.
I’m going to mark the date on his new tube (and mine) to see how long it will last, and see if I need to adjust my numbers.
If this holds true, I can estimate that for the two of us, we’ll need about 44 ounces of toothpaste for both of us each year. Some tubes come in the 4-ounce size; others, you’ll find in 6 ounces or more.
So, I’ll need about 10 tubes of the 4.2-oz. variety; 12 tubes of the 4-oz. size; or 8 tubes of the 6-ounce variety to get us through the year, give or take.
Why this is good for me to know:
I can take a quick look at my stash, and once I’ve hit a year’s supply (or less) worth of toothpaste, I can know that I should either quit buying toothpaste for awhile, or donate my surplus.
Further, I know just how much more use I’ll get out of a 6-oz. tube than I would out of a 4-oz. size (about a month more).
I plan to mark shampoo and body wash and other similar items to see how long they last, too.
I did something similar with laundry detergent: I added tally marks to the bottom to see if the container really did wash as many loads as advertised. (Answer: yes.)
I also marked the date because I didn’t trust that I would remember to mark each time I did a load of laundry and thought I could use that to help me estimate the number of loads I’d done.
But I like your idea, too.
I’m thinking of marking the inside of rolls of toilet paper to compare how long different rolls last. This isn’t a perfect system (for toilet paper) because someone might get sick (and use more) or you might have company (more) or leave on vacation (less), etc. But if the difference between two rolls were big enough, that would imply a real difference.
some people have too much time on their hands!! lol
I think that’s a great idea and a good way to keep track of what you’re using. Wouldn’t it be easier to buy one tube of toothpaste though?
@ Ariel-
I’m a little confused, what do you mean? Buy one big tube of toothpaste, or?
@ Rosie-
It took all of 3 seconds to do ;p
LOL! I’ve done the same thing with shampoo, shaving cream, toothpaste, mouthwash, etc. I think it is a smart plan. Now you know how much to stock up on free toothpaste when the drug stores have a sale. I then use my extra to donate to shelters, etc.
That is a good idea. I know we always have half used toothpaste around the house that never gets fully used. We should start by going through that than we can use your method of calculating how much we use.
Putting down dates is a great idea. I’m going to put this into practice right away !
I don’t like getting a whole year’s supply for toothpaste because they tend to dry out after several months in storage !
Glad to have found your site and thanks for visiting mine ;) I have to admit, I’m not as frugal as I can be so I’ll be looking for tips here!
Hey Kacie, What a great idea. I would have never thought of this. I always just buy when we are out (maybe one extra) but as I learn I know that there are better/smatter ways to go about purchasing these kinds of items.
Thanks for all of your help in this journey to frugality!
Maybe Ariel meant one tube of toothpaste for you and your husband - at least that’s what I’m wondering about!
Such a simple - yet brilliant - idea. Thanks! We have separate tubes of toothpaste because my husband prefers Aquafresh. Since sales on Aquafresh are few and far between at CVS, I use whatever else I can get free so that I don’t use up his kind too quickly. :D
Wow, I’m impressed. This is the first time I’m visiting your blog, and your top article is great. I always wondered about the toothpaste and now I know.
I’ll do a similar inventory of my toothpaste stash and see if I have enough. I always buy it on sale……………:)
Lol, a blog post on toothpaste is somewhat silly. :) But, it’s the little things that can really add up.
My husband and I don’t share a tube of toothpaste because he gets ready in one bathroom, and I in another. It just works out easier if we have our own tube.
I am sure most of you veterans know this, but CVS has Arm & Hammer Toothpaste for $0.99 this week, and our newspaper had a coupon for $1 off. So it was basically free!
Kacie, I like the idea. I don’t have a very good system right now - just store up as much as I can and then pass on the rest to others. I like the idea of calculating exactly what you need. Keep us updated on how it goes!