It's in the Bag!

Monday's post featured some cool tutorials from around the blogosphere for making homemade grocery and produce bags...weren't they cool!? For those times when we forget to bring our reusable bags along to the store, though, it's important to remember to put those oops-I-forgot-my-reusable-bag plastic bags to good use! I like to use mine as garbage pail liners or as an extra layer of protection around foods in the freezer (to keep them from getting freezer-burned). How do you like to reuse yours? And just as importantly, how do you like to store your stash of plastic bags? You can buy a fancy-shmancy dispenser to put them in, you can make your own dispenser out of an old container like the one found here, or if you're like me, you can store them in...wait for it...another bag. Lol, nothing too revolutionary around here. I don't just stuff them all into that other bag, though, that would be too messy for an organization obsessed gal like me. Years and years ago, my dear friend 'L' shared this trick with me that she learned from her sweet grandma for keeping plastic bags nice and tidy and ready to reuse at a moment's notice. So, here ya go:

1. Your oops-I-forgot-my-reusable-bag plastic bag

2. Smooth it out flat

3. Fold it in half lengthwise

4. Fold it in half again

5. Fold the bottom end over to make a triangle (Do you remember folding notes to your friends like this back in the day? Do kids even write notes to each other anymore or do they just text?)

6. & 7. Continue folding triangles until you get to the bag handles

8. Fold the handles in half

9. Fold that remainder into a triangle that mirrors the other triangle

10. Tuck that thinner triangle into the bigger one

11. Voila! Your tidy little ready to reuse plastic bag :)

12. My box of bags that I keep at the bottom of our pantry (a few paper bags, one bag for plastic bags that can be reused, one bag for unusable (have holes, etc) plastic bags/plastic film that I will return to the store or to our co-op to be recycled...and a cooler and a emergency supply of water that I just bought in light of all the crazy natural disasters that have occurred recently)

Okay, perhaps you think I'm a little neurotic, I don't really blame you. But seriously, folding plastic bags like this just makes it even more convenient to reuse them! Keep these neatly folded little bundles in a bag at home like me or toss one or two into your purse (or diaper bag or backpack or manbag :) and you'll be set for your next shopping trip or whatever mess comes your way while you're out!

10/06/11 - I'm linking this post up with "Your Green Resource"
on Live Renewed, Sorta Crunchy, A Delightful Home, and the Greenbacks Gal.