Re-Useable Shopping Bags

[Crankin]

I started keeping mine in my car, too. I have 5, that cost .99, too. Bought them at the local natural foods store. My DH keeps 4-5 in his car, too, because we never know who/when, etc. will be shopping. He got his at K Mart and they cost 1.00.
Usually I go to Trader Joe's once a week to buy a few things I can't get elsewhere. I get one paper bag, which I use for my newspaper recycling.
I still use the plastic vegetable bags, though. Maybe I'll stop.

[Becky]

I alternate between plastic and reusable bags. I use totes from various conferences as shopping bags most of the time, but I will ask for plastic when our stash of kitty litter bags is running low. It seems silly to me to buy bags to scoop the cat boxes when I can reuse something that the grocery store will give me for free.

[bmccasland]

I have various canvas bags I've acquired over the years that I use for groceries - including 10 yr old Safeway bags. But the bag I use the most is a little bag, "lunch" sized, that I got at a quilt seminar - not made in a Chinese sweatshop, but a quilt guild "sweat shop" in preparation for the seminar. The ladies made about 150 of the completely lined little bags to hold our Welcome goodies. I use it to bring my lunch to work, mail, and all those odd small bits that don't fit in my purse that I only need to take somewhere occasionally.

As for plastic store bags - I do still use them - for used kitty litter. Maybe if I had a larger yard, and could build a bigger compost pile, AND get the kitties used to a compostable variety of kitty litter, we could eliminate the need to dispose of their waste. But there you have it, I admit I send poo to the dump on a regular basis. But my weekly garbage pile is still much smaller than my neighbors.

On a side note - while I was choosing something in WF, and commenting that the variety I used to buy was no longer available to an empolyeee nearby - he said that they had similar sauce available, right here in a glass jar. Told him, maybe so, but I can't recycle the glass jar, and I can recycle cans. Glass recycling isn't available in my area. If the sauces taste about the same, then I'll choose once that comes in a container that I can recycle.
I don't know if my comment made a difference, but canned variety is back on the shelves.

[NoNo]

I have several (maybe 4) from the supermarket, another one from there that's supposedly insulated, one I got at a bike ride, and my newest one my aunt made for me for Easter. It's reversible and is orange on one side and has pictures of sushi on the other

I leave at least 2 in the car at all times and have gotten much better about remembering them when I go into the store, and more importantly, remembering to put them back in the car once I get home. I also use them as my carry bag on the rare day I drive to work to throw my lunch and stuff in. When I take the train, I use a sil-sac to carry my lunch in, in case something leaks. It's saved me on several occassions

Edit: Forget about bringing the bags in. How many of you have brought the bags, told the cashier or bagger that you have your own bags, and then they continue to bag them in plastic bags? Drives me nuts!

[OakLeaf]

How many of you have brought the bags, told the cashier or bagger that you have your own bags, and then they continue to bag them in plastic bags? Drives me nuts!

And if you refuse their bag, they'll THROW IT AWAY.

I try to bag my own stuff. If you let the store baggers do it, they'll put your greens at the bottom and canned goods on top, every single time. If I beat them to the end of the conveyor belt, then I don't have to worry about it.

I'm just happy they updated the firmware in the self-check aisles so I can bag as I check out, rather than having to do it all after I've paid (or alert the attendant to key a weight override before starting) like you used to have to.