BYOB: Don’t Forget the Bags!

I’ve noticed in my recent grocery excursions that a LOT of my fellow shoppers have begun to bring their own bags! It makes me soo happy to see this! I secretly look down on the people who walk out with the passe plastic bags, is that bad? Now that these bags are popular in the grocery stores, people need to remember to take them on their other errands as well.

How Do People Remember Their Reusable Bags?
I keep my reusable bags in the back seat of my car ready to go. I also have a couple great collapsible ones that stay in my most carried purses. They are ready for any errand I may need to run (book store, fabric store, library, or grocer’s) or that may pop up while I’m out. *Remember this during Holiday shopping time (which is just around the corner), too. They will hide presents better than the see-through plastic!

My mother (who is probably subconsciously stuck with the idea of getting her bags from the store) has trouble remembering her’s. She makes a lot of little trips on her way home from work, so it’s not like she’s making well-planned trips to the store. Her random trips are where we accumulate plastic bags the most (which we do use for trash bags). I need to start cracking down on her grocery bag habits. 

I love the bags I use. Mine are from Whole

Foods (drama!) and I can fit so much into them. They are sturdy (for heavy things like milk or books) + the strap is long. I can just swing it over my shoulder instead of cramming ten bags on one arm and juggling my car keys and door.

Make Your Own Bags
If you don’t want to buy your bags form the store, here’s some patterns to make your own (some are crochet, some are with zippers, etc)! Craft them from old t-shirts, sheets, curtains and you’ll save yourself a fabric bill!

Are You Doing More Harm Than Good?
"Many reusable shopping bagson the market today are ironically made from the same oil derived materials they are designed to replace. Reusable shopping bags are typically made from non-woven polypropylene — PP or resin ID code 5 for short. While these bags are recyclable, I would recommend purchasing a heavy duty canvas reusable bag instead. Canvas reusable bags are made from cotton, and last longer"(source).

Don’t Leave Home Without It
Prepare yourself to take your bags when you’re headed out for errands around town, then you won’t be caught bag-less if you remember something at the last minute. Don’t be forgetful like my mom! BYOB!

Read the entire gorgeously green post at http://community.livejournal.com/gorgeouslygreen/17994.html

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