The Best Reusuable Bags Live in My Car

I was reading Dina’s post about her latest eco challenge – avoiding plastic bags and I thought this might be a good time to share my balancing act with avoiding them myself!

I’ve been a big fan of reusable bags. I got used to using them when visiting my in-laws in Europe where THEY CHARGE YOU for a bag at many stores. That’s a wake-up call almost guaranteed to get you to carry your own bag.

Since, I am, all too often forgetful, I’ve come up with a plan to ensure I always have one with me…or almost always. I leave them in my car. Since I live in the suburbs of the great suburban city of Los Angeles, I walk almost nowhere, sadly. But I always have my supply of bags.

Since, I, of course like Dina, have a tendency to get to the checkout counter and find I have no reusable bag ( as I’ve left them in the car) I have started simply saying, “no bag”.

The consequences of this are a lot less dire than you’d think. When I have a grocery cart, I simply ask the checker to put them back in the cart. I then load them into my reusable bags when I get to car. Smaller items (those tiny bags in which stores put things are pretty ridiculous, don’t you think?) I carry or drop in my purse.

This system actually works out well, since I find that even when I let the store pack my items, they aren’t quite up to my specifications and I end up repacking them anyway!