Where To Find Cheap Or Free Reusable Bags.
While I am glad to see that more and more people are getting on the “no more plastic bags” bandwagon, it bothers me that some people actually pay hundreds of dollars for bags just to go grocery shopping with! In reality, there is no need to spend more than a few bucks at most for reusable bags, if even that much. Here are some great places where you can get free or cheap bags to carry with you to the grocery store:
IKEA - Their bags cost $1.00 I think, and they are huge! We have 2 of them now.
Trader Joes, Whole Foods, etc. - They sell their cotton bags for a few bucks and the last forever. Plus, you can throw them in the washing machine!
Origins Organics - For $10, you get an organic cotton bag, and 100% of the profits are donated to the Organic Farming Research Foundation. www.origins.com
Garage Sales - Take a tour through the neighborhood garage sales one weekend and you can be sure you will find bags for sale from conventions, trips, etc for mere nickels.
Flea Markets - Our big Flea Market, at The Rose Bowl, has hundreds of vendors charging as little as $.50 for cotton reusable bags.
Reusablebags.com - These guys are great…they sell all sorts and sizes of reasonably priced reusable bags.
Contests and Giveaway booths - If you hit up a local fair or street mart, oftentimes companies are giving away sturdy bags with their logo on them. Just a few weeks ago I got a “Solar Santa Monica” bag at the Farmer’s Market!
Visit Chinatown in your city - In downtown L.A., there are hundreds of stores selling lots of bags for very cheap.
Envirosax.com - Nice bags, nice designs, reasonable prices. Plus, they come in organic hemp and linen!
While I can appreciate that people want a “nice” bag to take to the grocery store, buying an expensive designer bag to carry groceries in doesn’t make much sense to me. I understand wanting to impress people (especially here in L.A.), but it’s just groceries! Really, the best kind of bag to buy/pick up is one that was made and used for something else, that way no new bags have to be made. But if you must have a new/nice looking bag, there are plenty of options out there that won’t run you $400!
If you like this post then please consider subscribing to my full feed RSS. You can also subscribe by Email and have new posts sent directly to your inbox.
You might also like:
6 Comments, Comment or Ping
Rachel
Don’t forget thrift stores! We get all of our bags from local thrift shops. Cheap, keeps extra materials from entering the waste stream, and supports a good cause.
Nov 8th, 2007
Jolly Green Girl
Hello Good human!
I also like Eco-bags.. I got the system and it works well.. Grocery stores are also starting to sell bags to minimize the plastic consumption.. great list though and very good point.
Nov 8th, 2007
david
Eco-bags, will check them out!
Nov 8th, 2007
Genevieve
Great ideas — I was thinking I was going to have to go invest in reusable grocery bags, but there are tons of nice bags at garage sales or thrift stores. I just bought an LL Bean tote at a garage sale for $.50 — that would be a great grocery bag….
Nov 11th, 2007
leo
very insightful thank you!
Just out of curiosity….Do you know where I can get quality organic/vegan ingredients online? I am now trying to order from online stores only because of various reasons…….can you help me with any suggestions??????
There is only one place, out of all that I have tried that really stood out for true quailty, and that is Celebrityfoods.
If you can help me grow my list of quality services or stores, where I can buy my food, I would greatly appreciate it.
Thank you!
Nov 27th, 2007
david
I don’t leo, as I do all my shopping at local stores. Anyone?
Nov 28th, 2007