Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
The earliest recorded instance of toilet paper as a way of cleaning up your business is in the 6th century AD in China. However, modern toilet paper as a commodity wasn't invented until the late 19th century. In the meantime, people used many different methods of cleaning. Before TP was cheap and popular, people used newspaper, phone books or other paper products to clean themselves.
The Old Farmer's Almanac, for example, was sold with a hole punched in the corner so people could hang it in outhouses. The popular Sears Roebuck catalog was also a popular choice. So popular, in fact, that when they decided to switch to glossy paper, people complained because it was no longer good for cleaning up their fannies!