Good morning readers. Your mission challenge, should you choose to accept it, involves the rejection of any and all plastic shopping bags for a period of 1 month. During this time there will be a $1 (self imposed) penalty per bag that sneaks its way into your life. Alright if you don’t want to do that you don’t have it but it might give you more motivation!

Objective: Refuse those ubiquitous plastic shopping bags from all your shopping trips. Who has time to keep up with them? Who swears they’ll recycle and then leaves them to languish in the trunk of your car week after week? Break the cycle!

Bonus Challenge: Take all the bags lying around your house right now and bundle them up and take them to the grocery store recycling station-right now-I’ll wait. You’re back? That was quick.

Caveat (exception): I can use the bags currently in my possession (not many) and must recycle them once I’m through using them.

Purpose: Everyone knows plastic bags aren’t great but how many of us have a ton of reusable bags stashed around the house that rarely get called into action? *raises hand slowly* I’ve decided to take action. Read on for tips on how to leave stores without acquiring a new friend.

Pointers:

Carry a large(r) purse. In the past two years I’ve wizened up and started to carry a bigger purse/shoulder bag. I don’t allow it to get over cluttered and keep it mostly empty so I can stuff small purchases inside. Makeup, candy, DVD’s…most of the non-grocery items I buy can fit nicely into a small messenger bag.

Put reusable shopping bags in your lap. I’m a visual person and I’ve found physically placing something in my line of sight helps me to remember it. Some mornings I’ll find Tupperware by the front door reminding me of my lunchbox. Other times I place my reusable or bags to be recycled in my lap while I’m driving so that I can’t leave them behind. (You could also place in the passenger seat but that’s not a guarantee for me!)

Carry folding reusable bags. I bought these great bags at Ikea last winter for $1 a piece. They fold nicely into themselves and fit into the aforementioned messenger bag. The one flaw (and its not insurmountable) is that these guys have no tab for the bags to put on their carousel to make for easier loading. I apologize to cashiers about my tab-less bags and offer to bag-they usually politely decline the offer and they have little trouble bagging my purchases.

Ignore the looks. No thank you, I don’t need a whole bag for that birthday card or my single solitary candy bar (we both know it won’t make it into the parking lot without being snarfed down!). I often ask for them to place my items on the counter and I either put purchases in my purse or carry them. Just ignore the weird looks, smile and be on your way-sans bag.

One store that I find to be especially uncomfortable with bag-less purchases is Walmart. I find myself often taking things out of plastic bags and putting into my own bag or purse. They give me very odd looks and ask repeatedly if I want a bag. I just remember to keep my receipt in hand as I walk out in case someone asks to see it. I think by now many of the cashiers know I’m the weird girl that always refuses plastic bags.

Insist on paper. The baggers at my local grocery store go on auto-pilot when they bag. I get it, I’ve been there too. Sometimes they’ll start to bag my stuff in plastic even though I’ve asked for paper. Don’t feel bad about making them switch stuff over, its their job and it takes 10 seconds. I’ve never had one get mad at me for reminding them I prefer paper bags (Caveat: Don’t be that jerk that asks them to switch your whole shopping trip worth of groceries because you didn’t notice until they were done.)

To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Go forth and use the knowledge you’ve gleaned for good! Check back next Tuesday to see my progress and update me on your own. Also if you have pointers that work for you feel free to share in the comments section!

Au revoir!

K.