While in Florida last week, I picked up a souvenir: a bright green earth-friendly shopping bag from Publix, the premiere grocery store of the Sunshine State.
Well. You must have noticed, unless you exclusively eat out or grocery-shop online or something. There's been an explosion of reuseable grocery bags. I am gathering quite the collection, and I notice others are following suit.
I jumped on the bag bandwagon with some heavy-duty canvas totes that I found in the hall closet. Then there's a bag from a city beautification conference, a gift from my friend Beth. A free one arrived in the mail. And finally the green Publix bag.
In the usual fashion, none of my bags match. I'm hopelessly uncoordinated when it comes to matching and such. To market I go, mis-matched bags flapping on my arm.
At our local grocery, Buehler's, bag-toters are rewarded with a 5-cent credit for every bag they use. Let's see. If I buy two bags of groceries per week (empty nesters, ya know), that adds up to about $5 a year. More than the cost of the bags. Not bad.
And oh. The guilt and shame when I step in the store and HAVE FORGOTTEN MY BAGS. How could I be so thoughtless? I resolve to remember next week!
What about you? Are you on the bandwagon? Do you have a collection, too?
8 comments:
While I realize that the reusable bags are very good stewardship, I'm not participating. I can't take the stress! It'll be like the coupon fiasco all over again. I couldn't sleep at night knowing that I had a 25 cent coupon that I had forgotten to use - one that was about to expire, no less, and that was probably my last chance-- AND IT HAD BEEN DOUBLE COUPON DAY!!! I had to spend more on Tums than I could have ever saved with my stack of coupons anyway. Can you imagine if I used those totes?? I'd have the stress of remembering to take them with me (but I KNOW that they'd always be left behind!) and I'd stress out on whether or not to make an impromptu stop for a few things JUST BECAUSE I DIDN'T HAVE MY BAGS!! And then it's "Do I need to take one bag or all four?" Can't you see how this would age me beyond my years??! I insist on using the paper bags and reuse them in many ways, but my blood pressure just simply cannot handle being continually responsible for the whereabouts of those silly bags. And I cannot believe that you even brought up the topic and got me going on it. Some friend. :-)
If you left the bags in the car, wouldn't that solve the problem?
Rachel, I knew someone would ask that. Smart college kid! Bill and I are constantly trading cars, depending upon distance. Maybe bags in each car ... there you go.
Lori, you need to get a grip. Take Rachel's suggestion and keep the bags in the car. haha! Then again, I do like the paper bags that I, too, reuse....
We keep our odd assortment of bags (about 8 folded and compiled into a single bag) in each car.
Some of my bags are from health fairs, etc. Some are paper grocery bags in plastic handle bags, which work great and are sturdy.
Whole Foods even gives you the option of money back or a wooden coin per bag to give to one of the two organization funds for the day.
Responsibly green for future generations.
d.
You're overlooking the fact that the bags have to come into the house to carry in your purchases. That means I have to remember to carry them back out to the car later. I find repositioning things stressful. Take lipstick for example... My girls are constantly nagging about the many lipstick I carry. "Just carry the one you're wearing that day, " they say. Makes sense but then I have the chore of constantly taking out one lipstick and putting another in and being frustrated if I didn't put the correct one in my purse. So I carry them all. :-) I'm going to keep track of bags any more than I'm going to keep track of lipstick. Silly, I know, but much less stressful! :-)
Lori ... hate to say it, but I think it's our age ... I, too, find trouble in "repositioning." Or maybe our brains were damaged from having 4 kids each ... I know exactly what you're saying!
The comments are almost better than the blog itself (sorry Barb), but I LOVE bags. I've always loved bags...purses...totes...whatever! Now I can blame buying all those cheap 2 dollar bags on going green! ha! None of mine match either. My favorites are from Trader Joes - very colorful! My stress comes from trying to put the groceries on the belt in the right order to go with the right bag...and then getting the cashier to bag the right groceries into the right bag! It does get quite stressful at times. But it's like a game. Can I get all my groceries in the bags I've brought or will I have to hang my head in defeat & take another plastic bag...that I will reuse, but not for groceries...they aren't cool anymore!
Anyway, I couldn't not add to this conversation! ha. And I really like Lori...whoever she is! :)
Ok, I just had to get in on this conversation. I found some very cool bags at Walmart in Dublin that actually fold inside themselves, so I can carry four of them in my purse at all times. They are perfect for that unexpected stop at the store or for small purchases at other stores. Of course, if I am going to Buehler's for the big shopping trip, I take my other bags ( also a various assortment) and when I forget them in the car(which is quite often), I just park my cart by the deli case and go back out to the van to get them. I really do recommend these fold up bags. I thought they were actually so cool that I gave them as graduation gifts with money tucked inside this year.
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