Comments on: Reusable Bag Challenge Update – How Are You Doing?

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 03:57:19 +0000

PS Good job Peggy on NO bags!

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 03:56:53 +0000

@Peggy & everyone. I don’t think it should count if spouses bring home bags. Yeah, we should try and get them to take reuse bags, and help them convert. But since this is not the “Convert your partner / kids” challenge, I don’t think it’s fair to count bags they bring home.

Does anyone have any objections?

By: Peggy

Peggy — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 03:10:53 +0000

Jennifer, does it count if your spouse brings home a bag? Michael, who never shops, brought home one from the grocery store. He forgot to get the bags out of my car trunk. He also got a garment bag at a clothing store.

So far, I haven’t forgotten my bags, but I did have a Target cashier tell me she couldn’t hold the bags open so I might want to bag my own. I almost told her, “Uh, all the other cashiers have done it.” But I didn’t.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:04:27 +0000

@Elleno that sucks! However, your issue is a good tip for everyone here. Ask if you have groceries delivered, how they pack them. It’s something to consider that I hadn’t thought of.

Everyone is doing awesome as a whole though. I bet we lower the bag consumption by a ton this month. I’ll have to find some decent average figures and figure it out by the end of the month.

By: Liz

Liz — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 15:19:01 +0000

I’m only doing so so, I’ve collected 5 bags, but really only 2 if you’re counting ones I had any control over. Other people purchased things that brought 2 of them into the house and left the bags behind, and 1 came with a pizza order. Le Sigh. Better than it was, though. The other two times came when I stopped at a convenience store on my regular evening walk. I have to remember to bring bags with me when I go out.

By: Jodi Plume

Jodi Plume — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:14:43 +0000

We went to Target and I forgot my bags in the van. We had a bunch of little stuff, and it all fit into one bag.. but still it is one bag brought in that I didn’t plan on. But this ended up being used when I cleaned the cat box. My bag holder is completely empty (I need to figure a new use for this. Maybe a rag holder?). I have 3 plastic bags being used in the trash cans around the house. Dh was in a hobby/joke shop and bought some dice.. and got a tiny little plastic bag. grrr… but this is in the van for trash.

As for shoes, last time I bought shoes we skipped the bag AND the box and just placed the shoes in our cloth bags. Now when I get new sneakers, I think I’ll keep the box because these are great for craft stuff.

By: DramaMama

DramaMama — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:05:17 +0000

Well I have a new one. I mean a new story but 2 new plastic bags. We were at a hotel for the weekend and in all the fuss of my brother getting married I forgot our laundry bag. So my husband used the one the hotel provided for laundry and asked for another for wet swimming suits and towels! Argh…He’s usually pretty good about telling cashiers he doesn’t need a bag and even reminding me, but I guess in the hotel we all just reverted back to our usual conveniences! I will say that it was weird that the hotel didn’t have plastic bag liners in any of the trash cans. I noticed that and at first thought it was gross but then remembered that it was a lot better for the Earth! So good for them. Too bad they have lazy guests like us who counter act that step…we’ll have to be plan a little better next time! Not too bad for the month though. Thanks for checking in w/us!

By: elleno

elleno — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 11:05:54 +0000

I was doing so well…and then I ordered my groceries to be delivered from Peapod, which saves me time AND gas because they deliver the groceries to my house (a small, guilty pleasure). I totally forgot when I placed the order that they generally put ONE item in each bag so I got maybe 15 bags! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Now I have to go to the grocery store to recycle them. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 07:35:37 +0000

So three of us were distracted and did silly little things, and poor Lucinda was at the mercy of poorly trained clerks. NOT BAD. I think I should take back my “STUPID” because here it is the 10th of the month and so far for four of us, that’s only four bags. Not bad at all.

@Peggy you didn’t say how you’re doing? Also, are you going to write that book? Seriously, it’s not a bad idea. I wonder if training is different at co-ops and places like whole foods? I haven’t been to a natural food store in a while (far away), but it seems like I remember them having less issues with my reusable bags than at regular grocers.

By: kisha

kisha — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 07:12:56 +0000

So far I have 1 bag and it was a stupid move. I was over at a friends house and she gave me 3 loves of bread, without thinking she put them in a plastic bag and I got all the way to the car before I relaize it was in a plastic bag.