So, you have two questions here:
In the past, was toilet paper ever considered high-value or a luxury? And
How did people clean their butts before toilet paper?
As for the first, well, kind of. Toilet paper, as we know it, was first marketed in 1857 by Joseph Gayetty. He sold his “medicated paper, for the water closet” in packs of 500 sheets for $0.50 a pack (about $16.50 in today’s money). Perforated rolls of toilet paper were introduced by the Scott Paper Company in 1890. By the early 20th century, toilet paper became a stable of Western toilets.
However, in China, people have been using paper to wipe their backsides possibly since the 6th century, and were mass-manufacturing paper for the purpose since the 1300s AD at least.
As for the second question, toilet paper is what most people in the United States use to clean their butts, but it is not, and has never been, the only way.
Historically, people have used all sorts of things to clean up after a poo. The Romans famously used a sponge-on-a-stick in their public toilets. The Ancient Greeks and Romans also used terracotta pieces called “pessoi”, as well as moss and leaves. The sewer in Herculaneum preserves scraps of cloth. In the Middle Ages of Europe, we have evidence for scraps of linen or wads of wool being used, at least for the affluent who could afford such luxury.
Archaeological finds from Han Dynasty china include “hygiene sticks” with bits of cloth attached to the end.
Many people, even today, just used their hand (and then clean their hand afterwards). Traditionally, the left hand is used for the purpose in the Middle East, where this practice is still common.
Moving to more modern times, we know people in the Americas used corn cobs. In rural areas of the U.S., corn cobs and corn husks remained in use up into living memory. Scrap paper, especially sheets torn out of catalogues—the Farmers’ Almanac and Sears & Roebuck catalogue being well known for the purpose. For a while the Farmer’s Almanac was published with a pre-drilled hole in the top left corner. According to the folks a Farmers’ Almanac themselves, the hole was intended for people to hand the almanac up, fully aware people used their product for both reading material, and to wipe their butts.
Of course, the world is more than just the United States. Today, globally, many people do not have access to toilet paper. Some cultures see our American reliance on paper as odd or even unhygienic.
And then, there’s always water.
Water to clean one’s crack has pretty much always been an option. From a bidet (invented in the late-1600s), to a watering can, people all over the world—historically and contemporary—have and continue to use water to make our bums squeaky clean.