Do You Use Reusable Shopping Bags for Groceries?

[wonko]

I'm curious about the habits of others when it comes to grocery bags.  I'm not the environmental police, I'm just wondering.

So, do you use reusable shopping bags?  Any opinions, or if I didn't offer enough poll choices, please comment, too.

[pbbsmommy]

I reuse the plastic bags for soiled diapers, trash cans and when cleaning the house.

[annaroseannadanna]

I've got like a million and one of the .99cent ones that Walgreens sells.  that way there is always a few of them in the car.  It takes me forever to remember to take them from the house and put them back in the car.  this way..by having so many of them, i can be assured of always having at least a few in the car!  Of course then I have to remember to take them in the store with me!  I get lots of excercise running back out to the car to get my bags, LOL.  If I'm having a higher pain day than normal or if I've spent too much time wondering around the store and have started hurting, I'll tell them to just put my paid for groceries back in the cart and I'll bag them in the parking lot or when I get home!

I also take mine to restaurants.  It works wonders in stopping food spillage!  it never fails when I get take-out chinese, the sauces always seep out of the containers, the containers slip around in the bags and it's just plain messy.  With the flat reusable bags...no mess!  The first time I took a bag into a fast food (it was a KFC) joint and asked them to pack my food in 'this'.  I did get kind of an odd stare and actually had to explain to them I wanted my food in 'THIS' bag.  the gravy always always always spills...now with my 'green' bag...no more spillage!  I've had several customers in the restaurants tell me it was a very good idea and they were going to start doing it too.  Popeyes is the only restaurant that gave me a hard time about it.  But when I explained to them that KFC was less than 10 minutes away and they are more than happy to use my 'green' bag...lets just say...Popeye started singing a different tune.

they've also become very handy for when I shop at SAM's.  Warehouse shopping and they do not bag groceries.  I use to keep bulky boxes in the back of my Kia Cinco Rio (translation:  small car)  and I always hated having them in there but now i just keep 1 rather smallish box and I keep all my bags in that box.  Now when I shop SAM's, as I'm unloading the cart I just put everything in the bags.

Now what to do with the gazillion plastic bags that i have, LOL. I do have a few uses for them.

I use them to 'spot' clean the house.  I'll carry one with me through the house picking up trash, small craft items, books, magazines, newspapers, recyclables, ect...and then I go back through the house carrying my sack, putting everything away where it belongs.

I use them as liners for the bedroom, office & bathroom trash cans.  

I use them as pooper-scooper bags.

I use them as recycling containers for magazines, newspapers, cans, bottles, plastic, ect.

I use them to store incomplete craft projects.

I recently came across a pattern for a tote-bag that you crochet using plastic grocery bags instead of yarn, so I'm gonna give my hand a try in that one of these days (I'm busy scrapbooking right now).

Speaking of scrapbooking...I also use the plastic grocery bags for all those little peices of scrap papers, glitter, ect that you generate when one scrapbooks.

[TrudieC]

I have a couple of canvas ones but continually forget them although I do reuse the plastic ones for kitty litter and doggy do and recycle the rest.  Some cities and some stores here in Canada are charging you for using the plastic.

[888mom]

Many places are now giving discounts back if you bring your own bag.  The store I go to gives you a 5 cent credit for each reusable grocery bag you bring from home.  The other thing I noticed is that if you have a reusable one, they don't break and fall apart, which can be aggravating when you are bringing groceries into the house while getting your kid(s) in the house or into the car at the same time.

[JoyRenee]

I use mine every time I remember! I try to keep them in the car.

My cashiers always seem ANNOYED when I hand them the reusable bags or they don't pack them right. One time they put some yogurt cups in there and a loaf of bread when HALF of my groceries would have fit (I wasn't paying attention until I got out to the car).

I live in the inner-city so it's not a big surprise to the attitudes. But it makes me feel very frustrated. Especially because when you have two young children, you want as few bags as possible to carry.

Most times I tell them I'll pack them myself so that I don't get frustrated, even though I know it is their job. It just saves me the stress and I don't mind doing it. Or I use self-checkout.

[MJIthewriter]

I wish there was an "other" option.

When we shop at Aldi's we reuse old bags. Otherwise we don't reuse bags for shoping. We reuse them afterwards to line our garbage cans (plastic) and hold recycleable material (paper). We also use the plastic bags for storage and for cleaning cat litter. (not the same bags of course!)

[kitty51]

Our bags can be washed and re used,they are $1..00 each and i have heaps of them they are the best idea!!

[ChitChatNine]

We get 5 cents back ea. time they are used .. but I always forget them in the back of my van!!!!

[GRose]

I bought a few canvas ones but I always forget them, they were a waste of money.
I need to keep getting plastic ones since I have a kitty and I use them to clean out the cat box.

[babypooh]

I use the plastic ones from the grocery store, but definitely reuse all of them! And if they rip, I recycle them anyway :)

[Angelinthemorning]

we use the plastic ones from the store.  But, my husband takes his lunch in them to work and his work recycles them.

[margypops]

.me too lonely ...  

[Lonelymom]

sorry but I don't use reusable bags. I use the plastic ones the store gives me but they always find numerous uses at my home and in my car.

[wonko]

I use the canvas variety for groceries.  I'm not sure if my cashiers always love them, but I think they are much better for carrying cans and they each fit a lot more than the plastic ones.  Most stores also give you a small discount, like $0.05, for each reusable bag you use.

I also keep a vinyl bag that folds into a pouch in my purse, it's perfect for small errands.

I have a huge IKEA bag that is perfect for hauling my laundry down the 3 flights of stairs in my appt. building!  I prefer it to a hard basket because I can sling it over my shoulder.

[Trialanderror]

I keep a large sturdy IKEA bag in car that fits the whole grocery shopping content. The little canvas bags drive me nuts. Sometimes I forget to bring it though, so I`m the purple half of the cirvle right now.

[PlateletGal]

I do use the canvas bags. Not only am I helping the environment, but the cashiers love them as well. They can hold far more groceries than the cheap, plastic bags.