Do You Take Your Own Bag When You Shop?
By villageanne
@villageanne (8553)
United States
January 17, 2007 5:01pm CST
Years ago, all the bags were paper. They were sturdy and had many uses. Farmers used them to gather their veggies in them. Parents used them to gather outgrown clothes in to be given away. Kids used them to color on and then they were displayed on the wall or used as gift wrapping paper.
Today all the bags are plastic and to be honest, they are no good. They rip so easily that I am afraid to put anything of value in.
I have found a wonderful alternative to those terrible plastic bags. A homemade classic open tote. It is so easy to make. It is easy to wash and economical. No need to pay a high price for the ecological grocery bag so you will be helping to save the planet and yourself at the same time..
First is the fun part. Choose your fabric. Now what fabric you choose will determine if you have a designer original or a utilitarian carryall. I love to use denim myself. It is strudy and washes up nicely.
Instructions can be found at http://www.make-it-easy.com/opentot2.html
You will need to copy and paste the above link.
8 people like this
72 responses
@ElusiveButterfly (45940)
• United States
18 Jan 07
My grand plan was to make shopping bags to give as gifts. I found material at a discount store for a song. Thank you for doing the footwork and finding a pattern worthy of making. We have our own bags that we bring to the stores when we shop. My husband doesn't care for the plastic bags either.
I know that I have a couple of old denim dresses and skirts that I can use to make into these bags too. Thanks again!
@shywolf (4514)
• United States
18 Jan 07
Oh man, what a wonderful gift that would make! ^_^ I love the idea of making shopping bags to give as gifts! ^_^
I have never carried my own bag into a store to shop with. I think that it would be very hard for me to do so because I am so shy. Anything that would make me stand out from the norm would be difficult for me to do. But it sounds like such a wonderful money saving and environment saving idea, since those plastic bags aren't good for the environment.
@judyt00 (3497)
• Canada
17 Jan 07
I usually do if I'm going to be getting soemthing heavy. I either carry a sholder type bag or back pack simply because I have bad joints and its so much easier walking 8 or 10 blocks with heavy stuff on your back or shoulder than dangling from your fingers. Even when I take the bus, its a 2 block walk from the stop
2 people like this
@villageanne (8553)
• United States
18 Jan 07
That is alot of walking. A back pack would sure be better in your case. Thanks for sharing.
1 person likes this
@chimex4real2k2 (1853)
• Nigeria
17 Jan 07
usually i do not take my personal bags while i go for shopping i just use the ones provided at the shops if necesssary.
1 person likes this
@villageanne (8553)
• United States
18 Jan 07
Do they supply your bags for free or do you have to pay for them.
@crazynurse (7482)
• United States
17 Jan 07
I do take bags back to the store for recycling. As for taking a bag like the one you describe I don't. I buy too many groceries at one time to have a small bag such as that! I could keep one in the car for those very few times that I stop and get one item. (I think I'll do that!) I know what I'll probably do though, I'll bring in the bag with the one item in it, and forget to return the bag to the car for the next trip!
1 person likes this
@SunnySkies (93)
•
18 Jan 07
I bought eco friendly bags at my local grocerie store as well as a freezer bag. I have the habit of putting the empty bags in the boot of the car immediately after I used it. However, many times when I am at the till to pay I realise that my bags are in the car.....well I then normally quickly run out to fetch them and the days that I am lazy - like yesterday - I just buy the odd bag from the store and used it in the garbage bin
1 person likes this
@villageanne (8553)
• United States
18 Jan 07
When you empty it out, immediately fold it and put it on top of your purse. When you go out to the car again, it is there. You wont forget. :)
1 person likes this
@nishikanta (607)
• India
17 Jan 07
yes i took my bag for my shopping. if i take others bag, i might be in hospital not in mylot.
@villageanne (8553)
• United States
18 Jan 07
Yeah alot of bags may get heavy. We are sure glad you are here on mylot though so stay safe.
1 person likes this
@bethed (277)
• United States
18 Jan 07
I think that this is really neat.But I have a question.I have a family of 4.Are you able to put all your stuff in this one bag? Are do you carry multiple bags for this chore?And how does the public preceive you?
@peavey (16936)
• United States
19 Jan 07
I don't take my own bag because I always feel awkward about it. Many clerks even give you strange looks. Anyway, I use and reuse plastic bags. I use them for garbage can liners as well as cutting them in strips and knitting them into rugs or braiding them and making baskets of them.
They don't go to waste.
@brokentia (10389)
• United States
18 Jan 07
I have some talent...but I can't say that I have the talent enough to make my own bags. Plus, given that I have seven children, there is no way I would take my own bags in to grocery shop. LOL
I can say that I do put those bags to good use though.
We use them as the small trash can liners. You know the little trash cans in the bathroom and office? That is where we use them. :) Just take one out and put another in and now you have taken the trash out of the bathroom without worrying about dumping it into the bigger trash can.
1 person likes this
@Kaorin (756)
• Australia
18 Jan 07
I will never accept a plastic bag when I go to the supermarket. In Australia alone, something like 800 million plastic bags are thrown into the garbage per year... and we're a country of only 20 million people!
If I'm only buying a few items, I'll put them into my shoulderbag or backpack. If i've got lots, I'll bring canvas totes or green safe reuseable bags with me.
I work in a hardware store part time where we do not give out plastic bags, instead offering boxes for people with lots of items. You will not believe the amount of people that get cranky because we do not do so! What most annoys me is when people ask for a plastic bag when they buy one hammer! or a couple of screws! It drives me nuts when people get angry because we don't give out plastic bags when they only have one or two small items.
1 person likes this
@brimia (6581)
• United States
18 Jan 07
My husband and I just recently started bringing our own totes to go grocery shopping otherwise we drown in plastic bags. What's funny is one of the bags says "Whole Foods" on it and we rarely shop at Whole Foods. Wild Oats does a nice thing where if you bring your Wild Oats grocery bags and reuse them, they give you a wooden nickel which you can donate to one of 3 charities they sponsor.
@babystar1 (4233)
• United States
17 Jan 07
No i do not take my own bag when i go shoping, i just use the plastic ones they have.We do still have a store that uses both plastic and paper bags, we have a choice if we want plastic or paper. But i do like the plastic bags cause they have handles on them easy to carry.But you have a very good idea about making your own bag, i have to get someone to make me one, i dont sew.
1 person likes this
@scorpiobabes (7225)
• United States
18 Jan 07
I remember those bags...and how they'd glare at you for double bagging! I'd make my own bag, except I shop at Target and I don't think they'd allow it (Aldi's too far away).
1 person likes this
@samtaylorskykierajen (7977)
• Canada
22 Jan 07
I always use the bags from the store because with them I then use the bags for the garbage in the bathroom . If I know someone is moving and may be looking for boxes , I will opt to take boxes on that particular day .
@blanksolid (1631)
• Spain
18 Jan 07
Yes i usually take my own bags when i go shopping because there are many shops that they havent got any bags and second, some shops sell theirs own bags so they are too expensive, have a nice day on mylot and happy earnings also.
@lauchick1 (62)
•
18 Jan 07
Thats one thing i always forget and it really bothers me when you go into a shop and have to pay for a bag when u know you have loads at home, i know its only a few pence but its so annoying.
@angelastreit (287)
• United States
18 Jan 07
When my husband and I was stationed on a military base they would only give you paper bags because its easy to recycle and is low on cost compared to the other bags. My mother in law actually gets paper bags and gives them to my neice to color on or cut or whatever with. I hate paper bags cause I try and grab everything else at the same time...But then I like to recycle bags.
@Alexc123 (126)
•
18 Jan 07
i think this sort of thing, the idea of making your own bag, will be more and more common in years to come. those bags you get provided with are useless, you put one bottle in them and you will have no handles left on the bag. its all good the supermarkets changing to plastic but they could atleast make them a bit thicker so they could hold more than a packet of marshmellows.
