Chepooka

Bag lady

Lately I’ve become obsessed with the number of plastic shopping/grocery bags that enter my household. I’ve been sticking them in a drawer to see how fast it takes to fill up.

Not.

Long.

I used to merely hate waste and packaging and so forth, but I’m learning to despise it.

To be aware and to take action when it comes to the little things automatically puts you in the “damn tree hugger” category. I see the looks, I know. Nobody wants to be the slightest bit inconvenienced. But enough is enough!

Lately I’ve been thinking long and hard about my little trips to the grocery store. Like maybe I could buy one of those canvas bags to stick stuff in. Not for the big shops, the Costco runs, but for the other 90% of the time when I’ve only got a few items.

Today I was out and about and had my huge ass purse with me so I figured let’s see how this goes. Barnes & Noble? “No thanks, I don’t need a bag.” Grocery store? Well, I kinda forgot about my plan by that point. I was buying fat free sour cream and fat free cheddar cheese and it was only as I was swiping my debit card that I remembered I was going to stop using plastic at the grocery. I could have fit a whole case of the stuff in there so I said, “Come to think of it, I don’t need a bag.” She gave me the look. Like I was seven types of crazy and how annoying that I inconvenienced her. She took a deep breath and mustered up the strength to take those whole two items out of the bag. I stuck them in my purse.

And then.

She crumpled up the bag that had been contaminated by my grocery cooties and threw it in the trash.

Posted by chepooka on 05/24 at 10:59 AM

Comments

Well, if you hadn’t purchased such cootie-ish groceries, she woudn’t have had to do that now, would she? I think not.

No, srsly. About three weeks ago, I bought some relatively inexpensive light (yet sturdy) cotton yarn and made seven mesh style grocery bags because I was getting irritated with our stash of paper and plastic bags. It kept my hands busy and it reduces the crap that comes into our house.

Anyway, I hope you’re doing well. I miss you!

Posted by Christina on 05/25 at 06:16 AM

I hate plastic bags. I like to put thinkgs in my backpack.

Posted by oleblue on 05/25 at 05:38 PM

Ugh, I guess she missed the point. I hate to see those plastic bags pile up, too.

I keep a stash of about half a dozen canvas bags in my car so I have them with me if I make an unplanned stop at the store.

I still use plastic bags when I buy meat, since I don’t want the juices dripping out onto the canvas bags… eew! Then I reuse the plastic bags as trash bags for cat litter.

Posted by morea on 06/01 at 03:13 AM

I recently switched over to green ecobags… and I LOVE THEM! I use them at the commissary and at places like Target and Wal-Mart and people are always checking them out or asking me about them. They hold so much more than a plastic bag and make it easier to get all of my groceries into the house without having to go back and forth to the car. I’m a teeny bit obsessed with them now.

Found you via Tenth-Muse, btw.

Posted by Betty on 06/01 at 06:20 PM

Christina, do you have a pattern that you followed to make those bags? Did you crochet them? Or do you have any recommendations where I could find a pattern for them? I never thought of making my own sacks, but I have a whole spindle of the kitchen cotton yarn that I was going to make washcloths from that would work perfect for a project like this.

Posted by Celebrity Foods on 02/29 at 07:15 PM

Ha I somehow new it was gonna end up they threw out the back. So much waste is nuts. and morea I do the same with our plastic bags. Picking up dog poop in the yard and for the cats

Posted by Cat genie on 07/22 at 09:44 AM