A Little Less Waste Around Here

I started using reusable grocery bags. Here is my assessment:

Pros: 

They fit so many more items! They are stronger and larger than plastic, so you can fill them up. This means fewer trips back and forth from the car to the house. Things fit better in the car. 

I don't have to throw away single-use plastic bags by the dozens! We use them as garbage liners, so previously I was saving them, but my container would get full. It would start to overflow, and I would still save them. Finally, it would get out of control, and I would end up tossing bags full of bags into the trash. It felt wasteful. Now I just have a few bags to deal with, and they fold for easy storage. 

Gas points! At our Smith's grocery store, they give away gas points as "green bag points". Since we like to use gas points to save money on fuel, this is an awesome bonus. 

Cons: 

Sometimes I forget to bring the bags into the store with me. Especially the first few times. I keep them in the car to help with that. It's getting better though, and I remember more times than I forget. 

Reusable bags cost money. About 99 cents for the cheaper ones. I guess that's a downside, considering the plastic ones are free. I do have a couple that were free. Free ones are fine as long as you don't mind the attendant logo (I have one from my OB/GYN office, no big deal).

My dearest husband gave me a weird look when I broke the news to him about my new behavior. Maybe he thought I was giving in to a fad. He has tried it, though, and I think he agrees with some of my observations. 

But you probably won't see him at Smith's with the OB/GYN bag.