green shopping tips

I use empty containers of margarine to freeze soup, sauces, or loose cooked beans in.

I have an old fashioned expandable string bag that I usually take when I'm going for groceries. And I'll stick a used plastic bag in it for extra support or if I buy more than the string bag can hold. I also use plastic grocery bags for garbage. And when I mail books that I've sold or are trading, I wrap them in a plastic bag with the handles and bottom cut off, before I do the outside wrapping.

You missed the biggie, Rainbow. Take strong shopping bags so that you don't need plastic carrier bags. Like the tips, though, very much.

Thanks for the tips. I actually do most of these anyways but usually because it is cheaper in the long run to buy big packages and dole them out for lunches etc (E.g in the case of sultanas, I put a small amount into tupperware containers in the kids lunchboxes) I always use material shopping bags (If I remember to bring them into the store from my car boot!) and reuse the plastic ones for trash bags. Thanks for the discussion.

Large sizes is indeed the best to buy. You can divide it at home if need be. Frozen juice is much better and you can add 4 cans and not 3 and have more savings. Do not store water in a plastic jub, 2 liter bottles hold up better for fresher tasting water. Good tips otherwise!! Thanks for sharing.

Lots of good tips here! A few to add: - eat less meat. Meat in incredibly resource-intensive food. Reducing the amount of it in your diet saves water, reduces pesticide use (on feed for animals) and reduces pollution run-off. - buy local whenever possible. This helps cut down on the fuel consumed in transportation of goods. - buy less processed foods.

*Bring your own cloth or canvas bags to carry your purchases home in. *Buy foods with less packaging, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, large packages of fresh meats, large bags of rice, etc. *Make grocery shopping a carpool event with a friend or neighbor, you'll both save money on gas and shopping is always more fun with a friend. *Try to purchase everything at one store, or at a couple of stores that are very close to each other to save gas. *Do all your shopping on one day of the week, this will also save on gas and wear and tear on your car.

Thanks for the tip. I have been into this practice, too. Unless of course, I only need the small packs.

I don't really know if I can explain this but I used to think that large sizes always cheaper but my husband had shown me that's not always. I don't look at large size/ packages anymore....instead I have've looked them in kg/gr/lt/piece. In our supermarket they have always included prices of the item per 1 kg/gr/lt/pieces as a comparison not only whole price of the items as package. And he's right, I have many item in small packages/ size sometimes a lot cheaper than a big packages/ size if you compare their prices not in size but in 1 kg/gr/lt/piece. Since I don't have a large family, it will also save me to reduce food waste, instead of saving them for days and days. And just buy the amount that I need. Because something you just can't keep it longer. And I always start from the bottom of the shelf. Most of the time, that's where they keep the cheaper prices. Anyway, these are just from my point of view and my own experience, though.

don't buy water get a filter or drink it from your tap

hi Rainbow I love the icon it's nice. My family has always bought large boxes of cereal and we put the cardboard box in the recycle bin along with cans and so forth I think your right it last longer I have alot of other things for breakfast though it's my parents who eat cereal I have toast or whatever's aroud talk soon