Comments on: Monday Q&A | Do I feel overwhelmed? plus photography sessions and produce bags

By: Emily Wicks

Emily Wicks — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 22:03:01 +0000

I just reuse the plastic bags until they are unusable. Basically, when they get holes. Not as good as something that isn’t plastic, or not using bags at all, but still better than getting new bags everytime I go in the store. My husband doesn’t particularly like it, but hey, I do the shopping. I just keep my reusable grocery bags on a hook by the back door. And when I empty out a plastic veggie bag I just go stuff it in the top of the groceries bag. When I go shopping I grab the whole bit. And when we do a Farmer’s Market in the summer I have the plastic bags to use there. Works for me!

By: WilliamB

WilliamB — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 00:42:14 +0000

I reuse the store’s produce bags. Eventually they get thrown out or recycled but it’s a start. Ones used for produce don’t need washing, just dried before being put away. Ones used for meat I throw out, as meat drippings aren’t recyclable. Sometimes I forget to bring them (for reasons irrelevant to this post, they don’t live in the same place as my reusable bags) so they tend to accumulate. When I get too many I give a bunch to my CSA growers who use them to bag the produce they give out.

Kristen, about homeschooling: can you teach less each day and extend the school year? That could lighten you daily burden.

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 13:42:01 +0000

I have started putting my purse in the trunk where my reusable bags are when going out. So I have to open the trunk to get my purse and , OH, there are my bags! Not foolproof, but MUCH better on taking those bags.

By: wanda

wanda — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 13:34:00 +0000

Try saving the mesh bags that produce is packaged in – usually oranges and onions come in mesh bags that can be used again and again. They also work very well as dish scrubbers!

By: Zaheen

Zaheen — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 07:04:25 +0000

I had to reply when I read that the cheapest foldable bags you found are $8.99! I searched on ebay a while ago and found some really cute bags. While they are folded up they look like a strawberry (actually there are a few shapes. I’ve seen grapes and watermelons too). Cute and super cheap!

I’m sorry, I don’t know how to embed links.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Strawberry-Eco-Cute-Reusable-Tote-Shoulder-Shopping-Bag-/230482465515?cmd=ViewItem&pt=US_CSA_WH_Handbags&hash=item35a9d352eb

By: Faith

Faith — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 16:35:19 +0000

I think most parents can teach the basics. My mom was an English major and she homeschooled me through high school. I took 6 math classes (precalc1, precalc2, calc1, calc2, calc3, and diffy q) and science classes (chemistry and physics) at a community college during high school. I ended up in college with a dual degree in physics and mechanical engineering. And my GPA was high enough that they let me into grad school for free and actually paid me to go. I earned my masters in mechanical engineering in a year (because I wanted to come home and get married to my best friend). My next sister graduated with her accounting degree and my next sister is earning her nursing degree right now. She already has a paralegal degree.

I say all this to say, I think most parents, especially well educated ones, can teach the basics of any subject. My mom did a wonderful job and now I love english almost as much as math. I really didn’t do any REAL science until my high school community college classes. We did a lot of reading growing up. Science was picking a book out the of science section, doing an experiment from it, and writing book reports. We also visited museums. I liked homeschooling because it was tailored to specific needs. I didn’t have to sit still for 8 hours a day.

Plus, there are so many home schooling families now. It is easy to swap classes or learn something as a group. We did writing club growing up and had to write a paper a week and read it in front of people. That taught me public speaking wasn’t so scary. My brother took Biology with a group of 6 – 8th grade homeschoolers that one of the other moms taught. She also teaches chemistry sometimes.

It is flexible. I enjoyed it. I hope to homeschool my children someday.

By: Holly

Holly — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 14:01:21 +0000

I use the above mentioned bags from the dollar tree, but I have crocheted several others, for myself and other people. If you crochet, there are lots of patterns online for these types of bags. You make them out of crochet thread and they are lightweight. There may be knit patterns, but I don’t knit so I am not familiar with that. You can also sew them. If you know anyone getting married who may have some tulle, you could get the material for free if you asked I bet…well, after the wedding is over. ;o) I rarely use the plastic bags anymore, though I will still put them around meat if it looks as though it may leak, but I don’t buy much meat anymore so it’s not much of a problem.

By: Holly

Holly — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:55:58 +0000

I use these also, along with some sturdier ones I have crocheted for heavy things like apples and potatoes. They may be able to withstand the heavy stuff but I didn’t want to risk it!

By: Holly

Holly — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:54:12 +0000

Actually most of the stores in my area (central NJ) have a sign just like that. Ok well it doesn’t say “Sandy” but it says something along the lines of “Don’t forget your reusable shopping bags!”

By: cagey (kelli oliver george)

cagey (kelli oliver george) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:20:42 +0000

Great ideas for produce bags! I was just beginning to look into this and will be checking out the dollar store today.

A few folks talked about forgetting their shopping bags – I have two bags that fold up into themselves – the key is that they are a good quality nylon, so they are very thin and they fold up very small (each is smaller than my fist) I always carry these in my purse – they are extremely lightweight and really don’t take up much space. This was absolutely key in converting me into a Reusable Bag Owner. I never could remember to bring in canvas bags into the store!

Here is one of the cheapest ones I have found ($8.99/bag), as they can be pricey elsewhere: http://www.containerstore.com/shop/travel/reusableBags?Ntt=shopping+bags&productId=10023849

And now, I am off to hunt for produce bags. Thanks!