Our Frugal Journey

The only thing I like more than saving money is saving that cash in a way that also helps save the planet.
So I was thrilled the other day to pick up my newspaper, The News & Observer of Raleigh, N.C., to read that the North Carolina Senate overwhelming approved a bill that would prohibit stores on our beautiful Outer Banks from bagging up customers’ purchases in plastic sacks.
While the House must still approve the bill and Gov. Bev Perdue would need to sign it into law, it’s a good first step toward getting rid of those ubiquitous plastic bags blowing in the wind all over our landscape.
I’m even more excited because in news reports about the bill, legislators are calling it a pilot program that may be expanded to the entire state of North Carolina. If that were to happen, North Carolina would be the leader in ridding our environment of plastic bags. Only San Francisco has banned the bags thus far in our country. Click here and here to read News and Observer stories on the proposed legislation.

I’ve been on a personal crusade to drastically reduce our family’s use of plastic bags for the last 18 months. For my birthday, I asked my husband to buy me a set of nifty string bags from reusablebags.com and began the transition. These bags weren’t cheap, but they have been well worth the investment.
In the beginning, I got a lot of strange looks and comments when using my string bags. Folks familiar with European markets frequently mentioned that my bags were identical to ones used there. A few teen cashiers tried looking for a bar code on them, thinking they were merchandise I was purchasing!
But recently, I’ve noticed more and more shoppers using reusable bags, and more stores are marketing them with their store logos prominently displayed on the side.
It’s a win-win situation for stores. The reusable bags are free advertising. And they reduce overhead and transportation costs on all those single-use paper and plastic bags.
It’s also a win-win for shoppers.
Using cloth bags gives me a great feeling — I’m doing something concrete to help reduce the deadly pollution that the plastic bags create.
In addition to the intrinsic rewards of using reusable bags, some groceries offer their customers money incentives.
In North Carolina, Lowe’s Foods rewards customers for bringing in their own bags. I’ve received several gallons of milk, as well as money off my total grocery bill, for simply bringing in my string bags to carry home my groceries. What a deal! For those of you who are unfamiliar with the program, the grocery rewards you with 50 points for each reusable grocery bag you use in a trip. Four thousand points will buy you a gallon of milk. The store also frequently offers specials when you can receive $1 off your bill for every 1,000 points you redeem.
At Trader Joe’s, I receive a ticket to enter a drawing for free groceries for each reusable bag I use.
There are many other grocery stores out there that reward customers for using their own bags. I’d love to hear from readers on what their favorite stores’ reusable bag policies are.
Then there are the stores that are charging their customers for single-use bags, such as discount grocer Aldi and furnishings store Ikea.
And recently, Target confirmed that in its Australian stores, it will begin charging shoppers 10 cents each for compostable single-use bags made of cornstarch, according to Sue Stock who writes the Taking Stock retail column for The News & Observer. Will Targets in the United States follow? I hope so.
As much as I love being rewarded for using my reusable bags, I think it will take charging extra for plastic for most shoppers to change their habits.
Where can you get reusable shopping bags?
*Virtually every major retailer offers a reusable bag sporting its logo on the side. These range in price from 49 cents to a couple of dollars. I recently bought a set of bags from CVS pharmacy for 49 cents each after coupon and then ended up winning a supply of recycled paper products in a drawing.
*reusablebags.com has bags made of a variety of materials, including the European style string bags I have.
*bagsontherun.com is another online reusable bag retailer. It accepts custom orders for schools or civic groups to sell reusable bags as a fundraiser.
*Make your own. Click here for instructions, using what else? Those hated plastic grocery bags.