Reusable vegetable bags for shopping
Comments (11)
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5 gal buckets & reusable fabric bags
Comments (3)Well the best deal is to get them free; Check with some restaurants, bakeries. If you want to buy them, Lowes sells 5gal. buckets cheapest : about $1.80. Fabric shopping bags cost under a buck. But I don't know how long they will last. I have heard some Walmats have them (the blue ones) for 5o cents each. My neighborhood walmart has discontinued selling those....See MoreHomemade reusable bags and gift wraps
Comments (1)Thanks! I've been wanting an alternative to wrapping paper!...See MoreReusable grocery bags, and stains on carpet
Comments (22)"cynic- Why do your put your pasta, sugar and flour in the freezer? Is that to kill any pantry bugs? That's exactly why maire_cate! We don't have anywhere near the problems that some states have with the bugs but I've been in the back rooms of enough grocery stores to say, in the freezer! I actually put them in a plastic bag to bring them home, then into the freezer, plastic bag and all for 2-3 days minimum. I've never had to clean out flour bugs from my house and hope I never will have that duty. Or should I say dooty? Say Wildchild, about your comment "Like my friend the people I see using the cheap non washable bags are those who can least afford them." Are you talking about paper/plastic from the store? Usually they're "free", but with reuseables, many stores here give a 5 credit. We all know the cost of these bags are factored into the overhead, therefore into pricing at the store. If you're referencing the reuseable bags you buy, I haven't seen one yet that can't be washed so if that's the reference, where do you get this idea? I've even washed plastic bags from the store! (The cheapie "free" ones.) Also, I have to question your position: "But if you follow the money you will see that this is just another way for stores to save money on regular bags and make a profit on cheap reusable, most of which will end up in the landfills taking more space than plastic or even paper." *If* the store has you bring a bag, AND not give you a credit for not taking a bag, then yes it's another way to save money and to that I say why not? Stores *are* in business to make a profit. However, if the store gives the credit, then I dispute your position since the bags probably cost the store less than 5¢ each so in many cases, it can cost the store money for people to bring the bags in, to say nothing of the loss of bags people don't purchase - grab, use and not mention it to the cashier. Next I'll take issue with the landfill: Yes, one reuseable probably takes more space than one paper or plastic, but I don't think it's fair to say we'll throw the reuseables away after only one use! Or for that matter after 2-3 uses even. Therefore they would keep a number of bags out of the landfill so, are you suggesting that one reuseable takes more landfill space than 50-100 other bags? I don't know what the ratio is, but I know I've used mine now at least 10 times each and they're still like new. Granted there's some wobble room there since some of the other bags would get reused as trash bags. Sometimes get reused even several times (for Aldi trips, carrying things to the vehicle and the like). And yes, sometimes I'll take a bag on top of it as mentioned. But I can't "buy" the theory that there's more landfill space used. You'll have to "sell" me on that one! For the toilet paper core, I agree completely. I've said they should have a minimal size tube in it, 1" maximum. For that matter, make the toilet paper holder thinner. 1/4" would be more than adequate. However, people buy from looks. They tried reducing core size years ago and are trying it again but in the past people rejected it as they did compaction of the laundry detergents. Didn't think they were getting their money's worth. I buy Scott 1000 sheet cheekscrape and it takes less room in the closet, costs less and is as good quality as most any other and far better than many. Compare how many rolls you need to get 1000 sheets sometime folks and you'll see what I mean. On cardboard, Aldi let's you (encourages you actually to) take and use the boxes in the store. Saves them trash costs. You dispose of it. And finally, I can't hit submit until I address the "China Syndrome"! I keep seeing the woe-is-me posts on here about all the business going to China and although yes I think it's sad, I realize what's going on. Why do we get so much from China? Because that's what people BUY! I remember the tearful threads about Walmart not carrying fabric in some stores anymore. That's not carried because people don't BUY it! Trust me, if people bought fabric and made their own clothes and such, Walmart would probably have a store called Cloth*Mart, charge you $75/year to enter it, make you check out 3 times to leave and charge you 50% more than buying it somewhere else! And people would brag about how much they save! But until people buy, they won't keep selling. Stores need "turns". It costs them money to keep the lights on and every item has to carry its weight on profit. Oops, one other thing. I found the comments on that link about sanitation of the reuseable bags to be quite interesting and I think they made a valid point. Don't forget to read the comments there if you read the article....See MoreDo you use reusable cloth bags?
Comments (52)I agree Mona, good photos is Elmer says above. I keep forgetting to bring the cloth multi use bags to the grocery store. I like paper and recycling, but sometimes we end up with a lot of the plastic shoppers. We recycle the plastic shoppers and all clean plastic film (clean plastic wrap, shipping plastic film, washed plastic film) regularly at the boxes outside the grocery stores. I don't know how they recycle the plastic film at shoppers but maybe I will look into it sometime. I sometimes use one or two for very gunky waste that I don't want to stink up my trash toter for the garbage people. We wash and dry all glass and plastic containers for food or beverage, and we recycle these appropriately. It is important that people keep anything that goes into the plastic recycling clean because apparently just a bit of unwashed plastic material can contaminate a whole lot of recycling goods, making them on usable or fouling up the works. We throw very little away – that is into the garbage toter. We can compost some material, and bones skin etc. can be given to select critters. We always wash our produce, and I even wash off the outside of a plastic milk jug and similar items because I don't know where they've been and I don't want bacteria add it to my refrigerator. EDit. I suppose there will always be slobs and thoughtless people, but I am glad to see a lot of people paying more attention to what they buy and discard, and how. we also recycle alkaline batteries....See More
7 years agoI'm so not organized or anal at all but some things involving my kitchen I am so insanely picky. Especially waste. And cleaning. Floors and the rest of the home can go to heck....ok, bathrooms need constant attention. That darn new adorable rescue pup has fur. Everywhere. I've always had rescue weimaraners with tiny pale gray fur.
I have a set of mesh like Islay posted but never take them to the grocery. I have thick canvas bags and rip-stop nylon bags. Probably three dozen now. Olive green for produce etc.
Our local market is 1/3rd of the entrance all fresh produce. One isle in the back for frozen...
The fresh stuff is 90% a-la-cart. By weight. Not packaged. I just put my veg in the two large canvas bags and some in the washable rip-stop. I bag myself at check-out so freezer and downstairs produce 'standing-by' goes down stairs un-washed for later.
What goes into the kitchen I wash right away or in rip-stop nylon bags that wash beautifully. My old set 15 years old is still in good shape but are used for shoes and boots in luggage now. Washed now dozens of times.
(I do not want my mesh bags on filthy grocery check-out rubber conveyer and then into my kitchen fridge produce drawer.) Even organic produce. Something to think about. And not all produce does well in mesh/cotton. Test your fridge. With something cheap like carrots. One carrot in a brown paper bag, one in mesh, one in cotton, etc. My fridge likes carrots in plastic or rip-stop nylon with a dry p-towel. Lasts a month or more. Food is expensive. Find what works in your fridge. I'm still going through some veg from Thanksgiving! Most is from Christmas/NewYears.
My kitchen dual compressor fridge is brilliant and has terrible reviews. I know how to keep an eye on troubleshooting and keep it in good working order 12 years now.
(I learned that here on GW by generous members that are repair people.)
Mom used to love shopping LLBean for years for gifting but always a bit off in desire...returns were always the boat-n-toe bags. We have many. Some are so washed they are favorites. Fresh and stiff I like as well. Rip-stop bags are annoying for groceries as they flop around in my car...the combo canvas/rip-stop is perfect....
CA Kate z9 thanked sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)- 7 years ago
Lars/J. Robert Scott