Bathroom Items You Should Not Waste Your Money On

In my series on cheap items for the 21 century, I have touched on basic rules and things I would not do to save money. I have also discussed a few items that you can get or make free or do without. In this article, I will discuss items for the bathroom that you should not pay for. They are as follows:

Laundry Basket: I have never understood why laundry baskets cost so much. A small laundry basket can cost $20.00 and a nice one can cost as much as $60.00. Even when you find a cheap one at the dollar store, they just tend to fall apart. While they may look nice, I never could justify the price. What you may or may not have noticed is that a laundry basket is just a garbage can with ventilation holes.

Instead of purchasing a laundry basket from the store, you can get a garbage can of a similar size and drill holes in the back for a 50% cost savings. But personally, I would not even do that. Instead of purchasing laundry baskets, I put our laundry in plastic Rubbermaid totes leftover from stored items I have thrown out or previous moves. Even if you have to purchase a Rubbermaid bin, it will only cost about $7.00. If you want to make it pretty, you can add a cushion and fabric to the lid so you can sit on it.

Toilet Paper Holder: I have found that toilet paper holders waste time, and eventually ruin the walls. Over time the pulling on the paper, and heavy use, loosens the holes casing them to fall off costing money on wall repair. I cannot imagine spending $20 -$50.00 for something that is going to cause problems later. Why not just sit the toilet paper on the back of the toilet? (I did cave once and purchase a holder for my powder room since guests use it. Just 2 years later, it is barely hanging on to the wall where we installed it. ) If you really want something to put the toilet paper on in the powder room, get one of those standing paper towel holders and sit it on the floor.

Towel Bar. I have the same problem with towel bars that I have with toilet paper holders. They just do not make them like they used to. Eventually, they break and just look bad. A towel will dry just a quickly on a dollar store hook hung on the back of the bathroom door, and leave more room for a pretty art print.

Toothbrush holders: Toothbrush holders are a magnet for germs. They are very hard to clean as well, considering the small holes. If you need something to put your toothbrush in, just grab an odd glass from your kitchen, and put it in the dishwasher once a week.