Do you use reusable shopping totes? Or are you still coming home every week with 10+ plastic grocery bags? One of the things I wanted to change this year was to reuse bags for my groceries instead of wasting so many plastic bags that are bad for the environment and even harm wildlife. Honestly I wasn't that motivated to make the switch until I saw how cute the bags are! And not until I actually started using them did I realize how great they are and how much easier it makes grocery shopping for me! No more plastic bags that rip and make my groceries roll all around the back of my car. And I can carry the bags inside in just one trip! These are the bags I use:
Yes, I only use two, and I have fit $80 worth of groceries in these bags, if I carry my milk separately. These bags are big but also durable so can hold a lot of groceries at once. Last week my bagger Frank (cutest. old. man. ever.) and the cashier at the grocery were going on and on about how great my bags are. They like that they are big and stand up on their own because it makes bagging things easier for them. Apparently a lot of people who use reusable bags bring in something "that looks like a silk nightie they balled up and threw in their purse" (seriously, that's what they said), and it's more of a hassle to put groceries in them. I realized if people want to save the environment by bringing in reusable bags, then surely they would also care for their fellow man bagging their groceries and want to be considerate enough to use bags that bag well. So, use bags that stand up on their own. You want good, sturdy handles so they can support the weight of your groceries. And if you want a cute ones, the one on the right is Vera Bradley. (Also another bag I've seen that holds up to 50 lbs and seems very sturdy is this one.) The one of the left my sister gave to me, and I don't know where she got it. I'm so glad that I don't use bad-for-the-earth (not to mention ugly!) bags anymore. And maybe now at the grocery store, they'll call me The Girl With the Great Bags.
So, what bags are you using for your groceries?
I try to use my reusable bags also, but when I forget them I save all the plastic ones and recycle them! They should have a recycling unit in the front of your grocery store for plastic bags.. if not, I'm sure there is one somewhere! It's assuring to know that even if I'm not perfect all the time, recycling is still wayyy better than throwing away :)
ReplyDeleteCute idea! I never considered getting a bag that stands up on its own...good to know that Frank and other baggers appreciates it :)
ReplyDeleteI always have a couple on me, but they're the foldable/tuck away ones. I love the ones you've shown here --so pretty!
ReplyDeletethis post is so funny to me, sherri! you are su cute. i have made the switch to reusable bags since we are now in a country where everyone does, but i thought it was really funny that last week in the paper here they had an article that said "reusable bags are actually not better for the environment" and went on to say that you have to use yours 313 times (if they are the cotton/fibrous ones) to make them actually worth it with the impact it makes on the environment to make the reusable ones. anyway, thought that was interesting and kind of funny seeing that aussies are so obsessed with being environmentally friendly. anyway. i like your pretty bags!!!
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