I’m aware of how pretentious the title of this post sounds. Bidets are for the wealthy, and certainly not an alternative to toilet paper for the average person.

Wrong.

Whenever I tell people I have a bidet, their eyes narrow as they work it out in their heads: a bidet? How much money does she make? It must be a lot. Maybe she came into an inheritance. Wait, she lives in an apartment – how does she have a bidet!? Did her building install bidets? Her rent must be insane. 

(Related posts: See How to Homestead in an Apartment)

The assumptions are wrong. In fact, I got the bidet when I was a single-income household. My apartment does not come with a bidet, and my rent not salary is not more than the average person’s. 

My father and his girlfriend introduced me to the concept of a bidet attachment. It is an attachment you fixate underneath your toilet seat and connect the hose via a _____ to the toilet’s plumbing. 

At first, I was skeptical. I didn’t know how I felt about shooting a stream of cold water up at my exposed self, and I was horrified to see how long and strong that stream could be (when turned to maximum pressure, it could travel several feet). 

Yet, the idea of reducing my toilet paper usage was alluring. While I understand the hygienic necessity, I hate the idea of buying single-use products such as toilet paper with the intent of disposing it. I hate the idea of literally throwing away money. If I could reduce my household’s toilet paper usage, especially as a woman who uses more toilet paper during her menstrual cycle, and therefore provide relief to my wallet, I was all for it.

I purchased the bidet.

Installation was simple, and the knobs are straight forward.