Loading ...Save Money and Landfills with Canvas Grocery Bags
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The following is a guest post: Nina from Queercents.com provides a guest post this week. If you would like to read more you can also subscribe to the queercents Feed.
“You see, in life, lots of people know what to do, but few people actually do what they know. Knowing is not enough! You must take action.”
– Anthony Robbins
On Blog Action day, I wrote that I was tired of the plastic bags piling up after our grocery visits and finally was going to convert to canvas bags. Even though Jeanine has always been good about finding alternative uses for the plastic ones, they still seemed to be everywhere as John Roach at National Geographic News writes:
“They sit balled up and stuffed into the one that hangs from the pantry door. They line bathroom trash bins. They carry clothes to the gym. They clutter landfills. They flap from trees. They float in the breeze. They clog roadside drains. They drift on the high seas. They fill sea turtle bellies.”
They ARE everywhere. So I indicated my hunt for a canvas bag the look and size of a paper grocery sack.
Result: I found and ordered six of the EarthTote Reusable Shopping Bag
Cost: About $85 with tax and shipping. They’re not cheap and Jeanine even said, “You spent $85 on bags?!” Well, yes, I did and I figured it was like making a donation to the environment: a small step so I could start walking with a lighter footstep on this planet.
Savings: At Ralph’s I get $.05 off for each canvas bag use. That’s $.30 (six sacks per weekly visit) and over the course of a year, I’ll save about $16. It’s not much, but consider it in terms of the price were paying by filling our landfills and impacting the environment. Reusable canvas can go a long ways and I’ll still be using mine five years from now.
Update: I’ve been to the grocery store and produce market several times and love using these bags. The bagger always is curious about where I bought them. Shoppers see them folded up in my cart while I’m making my way through the aisles and some have asked me about them. I feel a bit like a born-again spreading the good news about Jesus… but this savior happens to be the EarthTote!
Every supermarket I’ve seen which uses plastic bags also has a big barrel for recycling said bags. Just bring them back for recycling. Done, no extra $$ involved.
May 21st, 2008 at 11:57 amThere’s a more frugal option out there …
The Japanese Ministry of the Environment has been pushing an old Japanese art form called Furoshiki to eliminate the impact of plastic and paper bags on the environment. See the info sheet here: http://www.env.go.jp/en/focus/attach/060403-5.html
Basically, those old curtains or an old bolt of cloth - or any old table cloth you might pick up at a yard sale, can be turned into something you can use at the grocery store.
I’ve seen posts about a mom that takes her kids shopping, and always manage to startle the clerks when they all start whipping off various loose cloths that were mistaken for clothing and start wrapping everything up.
These can be tied to belt loops, around waists, stuffed into purses or tied to purse straps, or carried in any number of creative ways. The key is they are multipurpose, can be re-used, and can often be obtained far less costly than canvas bags.
Cheers!
May 21st, 2008 at 1:27 pmWegmans has taken the bag situation a bit further. After realizing no one wanted to buy their $.99 cheap cloth bags, they finally started making good quality plastic bags that hold more than two cans of soup and a toothbrush. Checkers can stuff them completely full. I’m considering bringing those bags back to the store to re-use, but even if I don’t, they’re recyclable.
May 21st, 2008 at 1:41 pm$85 smakeroos is just too much…i found canvas bags the size of brown paper bags at the air force commissary for 75 cents and at walmart for 1.00 each. bought five from walmart and five from the commissary. if i need more i will make them. now if we can just teach the bag boys how to pack them with our groceries we will have it made.
May 21st, 2008 at 5:09 pmI’ve been using canvas bags for a couple months now and love it! Most of mine have been from the Target Dollar Spot (these fold up into themselves and zip shut) or from my grocery store (Kroger). So far, I’ve not spent more than $.99 on a bag and they hold a good amount. There’s no way I’d spend $10 on a reusable bag unless it was insulated. I’m hoping to get a sewing machine so I can hit up thrift stores for tshirts to recycle into bags.
May 21st, 2008 at 6:19 pmWhen I finally figured out I’d save a bit of $ as well as do a good thing, I started bringing reusable bags (mostly of the 99¢ variety). I did purchase these insulated bags because I sometimes end up with groceries in my car a little too long.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0011UD65Y
Baggers around here are getting pretty used to them, and the ones sold at the stores seem the best designed for easy packing.
May 21st, 2008 at 9:50 pmYou know, you can use ANY tote bag. You don’t have to have bags specifically designed for groceries. For those of us who are very frugal, just round up the totebags you already have and see which are sturdy and of handy sizes. I like to carry a couple of smaller ones to isolate frozen goods (easier to sort and put in the freezer when I get home) and heavy stuff (so the bags don’t get too heavy to carry and kids can help).
May 22nd, 2008 at 5:51 amI have never bought a canvas tote bag! Everytime I joined a book club or some other organzation I got a tote bag - that is what I bring to the store so I save .5 cents with every bag and $85.00 for not buying them in the first place!
May 22nd, 2008 at 6:29 amAnyone come up with a good alternative to using plastic bags to corral fruits or veggies prior to checking out?
May 22nd, 2008 at 11:25 amYES! A friend directed me to www.ecobags.com a few months ago and they have a huge selection of canvas totes, mesh, produce and any other bag you can think of. They have produce bags made of cotton mesh and they work perfectly! Everywhere I go people ask where I got them. And if it matters at all, it’s an independent woman-owned company. Hope you check it out.
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:41 pmThank you, Victoria. Ironically I just found the website! Do you think you’re paying any extra because of weight of the bag. –Hmm, they know me at my local grocer, maybe I can talk ‘em into an extra reg. bag credit!
May 22nd, 2008 at 1:30 pmThese are definitely a good idea. The only other thing I had thought of is to use a Biobag (we have curbside kitchen waste recycling), then reuse as compost bag.
Nice to know i’m not the only one annoyed at this particular “last frontier”!
What I find is that if I’m out and about (or on my way home from work), I probably don’t have my bags with me - I don’t have a car, so I can’t store them in there. This means that I either end up buying a new one or just going with double plastic (when you walk/bus home, it’s a necessity to have something sturdy).
So I bought a Chico bag at Whole Foods. You can find out more about them http://store.chicobag.com/ These are a better option for me than most. They fold into themselves for easy storage - I clip mine to my bag, though they’re small enough to go inside the bag as well.
May 23rd, 2008 at 4:29 ami have collected some paper sacks and will be turning them into a nice large woven garden basket (according to directions from mother earth news “paper power”) i generally take a basket with me when i buy produce..so i never use those plastic things that are a bitch to open anyway. and they weigh the produce not the basket! then the produce is placed back in my nice basket so i don’t worry about it getting squished by the organic milk or orange juice. Also, sometimes eggs and bread do not travel well in bags of anykind so i use a basket for those as well.
May 23rd, 2008 at 6:01 pmhttp://frugalforlife.com/save-money-and-landfills-with-canvas-grocery-bags/
May 29th, 2008 at 2:01 pmSea turtles easily confuse plastic bags for one of their favorite foods, Jellyfish. This causes serious problems and in many cases kills the turtle. My organization teamed with Chico to make reusable grocery bags, but using any kind of tote or reusable bag, whatever the price, will help the environment and sea turtles especially. You can learn more about dangers that sea turtles face here: http://www.oceana.org/sea-turtles/home/
I have one free heavy canvas bag with long shoulder straps which is excellent (the bank gave it to me!).
My others are a bit more stylish, they come from here:
http://www.bhappybags.com/home.php
I agree that Chico bags are better for people who aren’t driving to the store, but I just put all my canvas bags into one of the bags and it’s no problem. I also keep the ecobag produce bags inside, so I will always have them handy.
The bhappybags are VERY strong, they are upholstery-grade fabric and are strength-tested with a load of bricks!
June 14th, 2008 at 9:30 amI prefer the manilla-colored HUGE bags sold by IKEA (@ $2.00 ea) for packaging groceries, but I use a bag with a “built-in” insert at the bottom for produce purchases. Bought it at Jewel, IIRC, for $.99 on a trip to Chicago. I just put all the produce into that one bag, ignoring the plastic bags in the produce department.
Nice thing about the bag with a “built-in” insert at the bottom is that I can use it for the bag that holds the other bags.
June 14th, 2008 at 11:15 amLove the produce ideas. I too forget my bags and end up at the store without them. Hopefully with time I will get better at this.
June 14th, 2008 at 2:11 pmAs a city dweller, I am glad to have the plastic bags to pick up after my dog. (bet my neighbors appreciate that too!)
But I do most of my shopping at Aldi, and re-use their own boxes to carry my groceries to the car. Then those boxes get used again for craft projects, etc. by my kids.
June 16th, 2008 at 11:38 amOnce I decided to switch to using canvas bags it took awhile for me to remember to use them, but it was definitely worth it. I no longer have piles of plastic bags (which I refused to throw out in case I needed one!) and I get a $.05 discount at the grocery store and they are easier to carry up the stairs to my apartment. Really, re-usable bags are the way to go. The two I use the most came from a church fundraiser. I do like the idea of using baskets for produce — glad Caryn shared the idea! I plan to get one for my local farmers market.
June 23rd, 2008 at 2:53 pmIf you walk, cycle or take transit to the grocery store with a limited supply of your own bags, you also buy fewer and more practical things.
I think $85 for something guaranteed for life, that you will use constantly, is a fair price.
But I also agree that second hand stores are full of quality canvas bags. If you don’t like whatever’s printed on the outside, you can paint them.
They’re also about the easiest thing to sew. Then you can stitch in bottle holders. Cheers!
June 23rd, 2008 at 2:55 pm