Re Usable shopping bags

[trainlady]

I bought the CUTEST reusable bags at the market this week. (Vons) They are made by Lucerne and have a blue sky, sunshine with farm animals on them....too cute!
I have an older, larger bag I have been using a couple years that keeps frozen foods cold.
Anyone else use reusable bags versus the plastic?

hugs, train

[Sammi1961]

Donna, I use re-usable shopping bags every time I go to the grocery store. I keep a whole pile of them in my car and another in my van so no matter which vehicle I have I have the bags available. It sure has cut down on the piles of plastic bags I had in the house which is great. And I have found that most stores don't care if you use bags that have another store's logo on it (which I do as I have two children and each of them work at a different store)

[ellenmelon]

I've got a bunch of them too, the best ones I like in this order:

1.heavy canvas ones that hold the 2 liter bottles of soda pop upright, I have two terrific ones, WEgmans and Kitchen Store
2.the thinner ones but have the handles stitched all the way down the sides
3.zip top ones I got for $10 from Wegman's but they hold Frozen Food for 3 hours in the summer in the back of my hatchback, easier than a hardsided cooler
4.the plastic-y ones from Whole Foods, deep and have the stitching and they stay open while trying to load them
5.can't stand the thin flimsy ones with the handles only stitched at the top and rip after a few uses.

Make sure to wash your bags periodically.
I especially like the ones that hold cold foods cold becuase then I have more flexibiilty in piggy backing errands around town, and I especially liek the WEgman's zip tops because I can carry it on the bus easily, bringing ice cream home from the Creamery is now a reality.

[Lisa Berry]

I use them at grocery stores, clothing stores, goodwill and to tote donations to school or 4-h events. I feel quilty if I forget to grab them outa my truck, I keep em n cloth bag by console so they re handy.

[KSJEn6891]

Like you Train I have a few of the ones that keep the cold cold - one that actually has open pockets to separate bottles and allow three to stand-up and be protected from other bagged items. Then I have at least a half dozen of the cloth ones that I pick up at a dollar store every time I shop there, a few IKEA (bought) bags, and I have a few "freebies" I received from events (like the cure for cancer) and one either a sorority sister or an in-law crouchet from other plastic bags "years" ago (looks more like a colorful beach bag). I keep them all in the cars because we shop SAM's Club / Costco about once a month or so and those stores only offer boxes to put items in, but don't always have useful shapes and sizes. Occasionally we shop discounted stores like Cash-and-Carry and they also only offer boxes. If I can get away with it and my cloth bags are holding other useful car items (spare / emergency blankets, towels, etc) I try to get paper bags (Trader Joe's is great about giving those ones out w/groceries - and still no fee attached to them). Unfortunately every once in a while we shop at other big "Name" stores that dont offer the option of paper bags (and of course the cloth ones are elsewhere - 3 are on my den floor being occupied by 2 cats), or the cashier/box-boy just bags w/o asking

[ellenmelon]

Jen, you crack me up about how the bags migrate for other uses like Kitty Toys! I am curious about your sacks with the compartments for bottles. Post a picture? I don't like to hear glass jars/bottles clinking against each other.

I use them also with a paper bag liner inside and then placed by each trash can so that we are reminded to toss our paper refuse in them for recycling rather than into the trash. Incredible how many paper goods our household produces just in boxed food goods alone and by the computer printer and the bill paying desk.

[Pag36]

LOVE the cloth bags and the ones that keep the cold/frozen for several hours. I have gotten them from Walgreens,. Dollar Stores, Farm Fresh, Walmart, and our Save a Lot sells them too. Farm Fresh takes a nickle off of total for each cloth or cold bag we use. None of the stores seem to mind that some of the bags come from other stores. I have LOTS and take them whenever Stacie and I go shopping.

[AnnaInOhio]

I love the cloth bags and have picked up quite a few bags at the thrift stores that were probably origininally beach bags or book bags but I've reused them. I love ones that have cheery prints on them and zip or velcro at the top. Not too hip about the actual grocery store ones made from cloth other than they do fold up nicely when putting away. Way back in the beginning Meijers traded me a Meijer bag for a Kroger bag, LOL!

Wish our stores gave money back, they should! They save 5 cents each bag I bring in instead of theirs. Meijers and Giant Eagle both use to give 5 cents back when you brought in your own.

Ann

[Pag36]

Good morning all, I so enjoy the discussions we have here on F C. Few years back Gina bought a "cooler" from Sams it folds up when not needed and zips up and has a foil lined cardboard thing that you can partition the cold from say a cooked chicken that way the chicken stays hot and cold stay cold. She keeps her other bags inside it.
I have a plastic tote thing I fold and put my cloth bags as cold bags in that way they stay cleaner than just sitting somewhere in utility room plus I always know where they are.
More mails to check. Have a good day all

[cat lover]

I have cloth bags from all over and a couple of the freezer type bags from Sam's Club. I keep a freezer type bag in each vehicle, but the cloth ones I keep in the house because we never know what vehicle we will be using. Makes me mad when I forget them at home! lol But any plastic bags I get go to the Amish community here so they don't go to waste.

I have quite a supply of feed bags I am planning on making in to shopping bags. I found a wonderful pattern and if they cut and I can sew them okay will be quite nice. Will share them with the DS and DIL's if they work out. A friend saw what I was going to do and she sugguested I sell them, but don't think I want to get into that much "have to do"! lol