Inexpensive Reusable Grocery Bags
June 27, 2008 by Jennifer
Inexpensive is relative; one person’s inexpensive is another person’s not so much. However, for the sake of this post, I’m naming right around $10 and under as a decent inexpensive bag. Yeah you can get store brand non-washable bags for 99 cents, but I’m more on the fence of folks buying a decent washable set. One, you can wash them. Two, they hold up better (in my experience). Three; and I’ve noted this before, but research shows that not everyone recycles those store brand bags.
So some inexpensive choices:
[Biome Lifestyle's reusable bag - £6.00 - only downside is that this one may not be washable.]
Dharma Trading Co. has some of the most inexpensive bags around. These plain cotton totes look great, plus have both a gusset and two side pockets. You could dye a bunch or add patches. Cost – just $3.95 per bag, but the price goes down if you order more. Find a pal or two and order tons.
Also see these Plain Reusable Cotton Tote Bags – 6 pk £8.99
Of course Reusable Bags has many good deals. I’d suggest checking their specials link first. Following are some choices.
[Reisenthel - Mini Maxi Shopper, Long Handle - $6.96 to $8.95 - many color options.]
Additionally, Peggy and I have both shopped Reusable Bags. Peggy got some Organic Cotton Eco-Bags for around $8 each, and I got some recycled cotton bags for under $6 each.
Now, if you’re really going to recycle the bag when it wears out, these look pretty good (for non cloth):
[Green World Bags - $7.50 each - different styles available.]
You also might want to check out the post I wrote; I Need New Reusable Bags & Hate Shopping (sos… help!) – there are some decent deals in there. Remember,when you look at a set of bags cost, it might seem like a lot, but really, for example, if you pay $40 for a set of six bags that will last years, that’s a stellar deal at less than $7 per bag. So pay attention to bulk rates.
I know I always sound militant about expensive bags, but I do wholeheartedly agree that a more expensive set is worth it in the long run. $40 for a set, not just one, is something I would definately consider.
I just ordered the set from Green Concept…I hope I love them!
Walmart has a nice bag that is really cheep. Its $1.00 for 1 bag. Ive had mine for a few months now. They are a little thin but for the price I think that they are a nice bag and will last for quite a while. Unfortunately they are only available at the store. You cannot buy them online.
I love the blue bag! I have a collection of bags that are all different. I haven’t felt the need to match… I just kind of collect them as I go… I will say it is good to make sure the stitching is strong… otherwise the strap may break and things will be on the ground… this happened recently when I overstuffed our laundry tote with wet laundry needing to be hung to dry… there is nothing worse then picking up clean laundry off the ground…
Shelly, my kids just dumped a load of laundry onto our wet basement floor so I know exactly what you mean! lol I really did like the white and blue bag. Very cute, without being outrageously priced.
Hey all – thanks for commenting. I’m just popping in, it’s busy. BUT glad you all like the bags – I like the blue one too, but wasn’t so keen on their other colors.
@Wendy – Which ones were the Green Concept bags? We’ve seen so many this month I think I may explode bags out of my brain.
They are in this post I Need New Reusable Bags & Hate Shopping (sos… help!) http://www.treehuggingfamily.com/i-need-new-reusable-bags-hate-shopping-sos-help/
http://www.greenconceptonline.com/index.php
I’ve thrown the Meijer bags and target bags in the wash, so I’m a bit confused why they aren’t washable, ya, you gotta take the little plastic thing out of ‘em but they’re still washable.
oh, and 6 pounds is about $12, so that’s actually over $10… the 8.99 lbs is about $18 and so on and so forth…
Also for the 99 cent bags, they’re cheap enough where you could get twice as many, still spend less (I actually use them for sorting laundry as well), and if you aren’t using the same bag every trip, then they will last longer. but again I think it does depend on the retailer. the Meijer bags appear to be the best built of any of the ones I’ve bought (though the Target bags are pretty)
We’ve just moved back to the US from Europe, and I can say that the bags over there have it all over the re-usable bags over here.
I have some stellar cloth bags that fold into tiny pouches and fit in my purse. They look like larger versions of the plastic Walmart bags, but in vibrant colors. Got them for 1 Euro each at a discount store in Holland.
The store brand bags there are woven from tarp material, and I used them the entire 24 mos we lived over there with no problems at all. I’ve still got them here, though I’m currently using World Wildlife Fund bags I bought at a French grocery store 2 wks before we moved back to the States.
I paid from 0.69 – 1.50 Euro each for these bags ($1-2), and they wear like iron. So much better than here!