Several places have banned plastic shopping bags and I think more places will follow. Have you made or used any fabric bags? I was thinking about making some, but I haven't noticed anyone around here using them yet.
In order to see the rainbow, first you must endure the rain.
eta: I work for a grocery store and it's amazing how much we spend for plastic bags. By all means make your own, or at the very least, re-use plastic bags from previous trips. And tell the bagger to pack 'em full! So many times I've went to the store and came home with 2-3 items per bag. At MY store, we have secret shoppers that come in and after they pay for their stuff and leave, they count how many items are in each bag. Our goal is 5-7 items in each. We do pretty good, but some stores don't. It's the little things that add up to make a big difference!
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Funny things: Me: "It's time for bed and I want you to be quiet." Son: "Well... I don't know... but I'll try."
Posts: 1413 | Location: (...Trying to find someone to ask...) | Registered: Oct 18, 2006
Last fall I got the idea of making shopping bags. I looked at some patterns, then looked at some ready-made on Amazon. I ended up ordering from Amazon. They are a good sturdy bag with strong, comfortable handles. I wanted them to look a little nicer, so my husband drew a design of a basket of apples and I appliqued it. Made 3 for us and when we started to use them, we were completely won over. They are big enough to hold what a normal paper bag would hold, and the handles are very strong and comfortable. No worries about paper bags ripping, etc. I made several more for gifts. One grocery store even took 5 cents a bag off our bill for using our own.
Posts: 139 | Location: MN | Registered: Aug 09, 2007
My primary grocery store started selling the reusable bags and I bought one, but they gave them free on Tuesday for Earth Day when you brought in 5 plastic bags to recycle.
Here's the Martha Stewart t-shirt bags that are easy to make. Haven't done one yet, but there are plenty of shirts around here that would be good candidates.
About 6 months ago we bought some at Costco. They were 6 for 4.99 I think and made out of Tyvek (sp?) with that webbing fabric as handles. They're large & work great. I put my initials on the inside with a marker & even take them to wally world when I shop. When we went to Australia a couple of years ago & were grocery shopping, you did have to pay for the plastic bags there. They sell & encourage the use of reusable bags, so we did buy a fabric one there for 99 cents & used it. It's very heavy duty.
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Posts: 380 | Location: North Central AZ | Registered: Dec 28, 2006
Awhile back I was at a rummage sale and there were 3 canvas bags someone had painted with palm trees that they wanted $1 each for. I bought those and have been using them ever since. Take them to Target, Walgreens, almost everywhere I go. Went to Michaels yesterday and had just a few items, so I told the checkout lady to just put the items on top of the largest item, that i didn't need a bag. My favorite grocery store will put each item of a different type in a different bag, so sometimes I will have about as many bags as I have items. Hate it when I forget my bags & am going there! They just go in the recycle pile to take back to the store. I also hang my bags on a doorknob to dry out after I have bought anything frozen or from a refig case.
Posts: 1162 | Location: Florida | Registered: Jan 10, 2003
Ireland has a "plastic bag tax" (which just went up) so the grocery stores all sell their own reusable bags. They're made of some sort of non-woven polyester and are very lightweight though they hold quite a lot. It's cheaper to buy those than it would be to make my own! The off licenses give/sell heavyweight jute bags with wooden handles that hold six bottles of wine each, but they're best left to that purpose since they're heavier than the grocery bags and not so easy to carry long distances.
Posts: 384 | Location: Ireland | Registered: May 11, 2005
I would ask one question. I use the grocery bags for liners in small trash cans and kitty litter pails, what suggestions do you have for these uses. No bags are thrown away at my house, just re-tasked.
Posts: 504 | Location: Rio Grande Valley | Registered: Apr 14, 2007
Twostep, I was looking at those bags on tipnut. That's what got me to thinking about making bags. I also thought about those Hobo bags that were talked about on here awhile back.
Lillyinthevalley, good for you!! I try to reuse some of ours also, but I still end up throwing some away.
In order to see the rainbow, first you must endure the rain.
Originally posted by lillyinthevalley: I would ask one question. I use the grocery bags for liners in small trash cans and kitty litter pails, what suggestions do you have for these uses. No bags are thrown away at my house, just re-tasked.
You can buy trash bags for small trash cans. The problem is you're just one house reusing a few bags. Millions of other people don't.
I don't make fabric bags. I use the cheap 99 cent reusables from the store. They're very sturdy and hold a lot. If I used plastic it would take anywhere from 5 to 10 bags for one shopping trip. Now I can get away with 4 of the reusable bags for most shopping trips.
I reuse every plastic bag that comes into the house.. I'd be lost without them. Dirty diapers, Guinea pig cage cleanings, and the residue from 4 cats. I'd have to make a dozen fabric bags, as I have a bad back, and aren't supposed to pick up anything heavy. I make sure the gals at the checkout pack light. I even tried crocheting a bag, but it got too complicated.
Posts: 1993 | Location: Staten Island, NY , USA | Registered: Sep 24, 2002
When I was a kid they didn't have plastic bags. We had paper bags only at the stores. We can all get away from using them if we want to. WalMart has great ones for 99c in their grocery section. The other grocery store gives 5c off purchases for each bag they save when you use your own bags. They sold reusable bags for 99c and I love them. I keep four in my car and use them in lots of stores. Better than my fabric ones. My daughter put them in her wedding registry. Many cities are banning their use. Hurray!
DH and I have been on 18 cruises in the 7 yrs. we have been married. On each cruise they give us 1 canvas tote (supposidly to use when we go shopping at the ports). At first I thought I would make a throw out of some of them but a canvas throw didn't sound very comfy. Since November we have been using them at the grocery store and last time I went to JA I used one there. To me they are a lot easier to carry than the plastic and can get more in them. I do use the plastic grocery bags when I scoop the cat litter but I still have a ton of those to use from my "stash" of bags. I also gave 4 of these canvas bags to my daughter to use. Hmmm, wonder if Holland America would give us a discount for advertising for them. LOL!
I reuse my plastic bags in my small trash cans and numerous other things, and also take them to the salvation army for them to use.It saves them money and recycles them aswell. A lot of our regular customers do this. I also have a calapsable tote box thing in my car and if I have a few things I just put them in it and when I go to rummage sales etc. it keeps my stuff together and I don't use as many bags . I empty it when I get home by taking it in or just taking the stuff in.
A denium skirt would work great as well. Pants too like the bootie bag. I like a couple smaller bags for bread and eggs or other soft stuff It is another 1 of those things that I think more and more people will be doing.
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We reuse all our plastic bags also. Use them to line trash cans in the bathrooms, cleaning out kittie litter boxes, and DH always has 1 bag inside another (dble bagged) when he takes the dog for walks to use for his poop. Maybe some of the ladies on the craft MB would like us to send them some of the plastic bags to use in their crafts.
I just recently purchased the re-usable bag on earth day. I'd like to do a little more to be pro active about stuff like this.
I do, however, reuse every single plastic bag that makes its way into my house.
Lilly, i purchase the scented "Ruffies" brand 4 gallon trash bags for my bathroom The smell great and they're a perfect fit!
I JUST GOT A SUPER FUN IDEA!!!! What about a reusable bag swap!?!?!? What we could do is have ppl sign up, and just like the CYOC Swap, we'd each say what colors/theme we'd like and have ppl mail directly to each other...
what do you girls think?!
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Our local supermarket has the reusables for sale 99cents. I bought one for my bread, so I would know which bag had the bread so it would not get squat. It is very sturdy, green with kiewee on it. I have since purchased 3 more very sturdy white bags but my problem is remembering to take them with me in the car & to the stores.
Dh does all of our grocery shopping. He uses nylon bags that collapse into a very small size. He said it felt very strange at first, but now he's used to it. Like Lilyofthevalley, we use a few of the plastic bags for other things, so about once a month, we get the plastic bags instead of using the fabric bags.
While we're being green...here's a great use for those plastic bags. If you have poison ivy, put your hand inside the plastic bag and, using the bag as a glove, pull the ivy out of the ground. With your other hand, carefully pull the over the ivy and off the hand holding the ivy. Voila! Poison ivy gone, without using an herbicide or making you itch. (I throw the ivy in the garbage; we compost most weeds but poison ivy is just too noxious, as far as I'm concerned!)
"Measure with a micrometer, mark with chalk, cut with an axe."
I use totes I've got from Wildlife orgs, and bought with quilting topics. My local grocery chain gives you 3 cents off your grocery order for every cloth or canvas tote of yours that they use to bag your groceries.
Our local grocery sold nice big reusable bags for a dollar ea, & they give you 5 cents ea off your bill every time you use them. We keep a dozen in the trunk & have been reusing them for several months. When I take them into WMart, they're a little reluctant to fill them, but their plastic bags are soooo small!
I picked up 2 canvas bags at the J.C Penneys in Yuma, AZ. Grand total: 79 cents each. They were for sale by the cash register. Hope they don't stop plastic bags, though. I use them to pick up my German Shepherd's contributions!
The smell great and they're a perfect fit!
what do you girls think?!
