The grocery store is one of the most terrifying places in the world for me. I go with a list, but once I'm there the abundance of choices can keep me from moving forward. The list may say "Yogurt" but I forget what kind. This one is healthiest, but that one is organic, and both of those are expensive so maybe this third kind? And more often than not I end up getting the ones with cartoon characters on them that are green and purple because those are the ones the kids are asking for and... hey, well they knew what they wanted and I didn't.
I'm still working on all that.
One thing I DO have down, though, is the checkout. Because I remember my BAGS. That's right. I have a bunch of grocery bags - some that I got from the grocery store (they give a bag to each customer on Earth Day) and the rest that I got from.... other places. Workplaces. For gifts. From Health Fairs. Just canvas bags.
I keep them in the closet and I bring all of them each time I go. I usually have more groceries than will fit in the bags, but I choose not to bag the milk or the potatoes, and I ask that the meat be put in plastic.
This is something easy to do. At first I used to forget them, and sometimes I still do, but the first step is to plan on using them and on not giving up. Now I don't even give it a second thought. That's a lot of plastic bags I'm not using.
You go, Green Fleen! I think this is a worthy effort & your kids will do it as second nature (eventually) b/cs they see you do it! Hooray! For you getting greener & also raising conscientious, green kids!
ReplyDeleteI second that. I think this blog is really cool and really inspiring. I have a hard time with this myself. Not because I don't care, but because I'm absent minded and when I go to the grocery store, I'm usually coming from somewhere else and I always forget to bring the canvas bags. I've made myself buy them if I forget. They're only a buck.
ReplyDeleteI keep my bags in the boot (aka trunk) cos that way they're there, even if it's a spur of the moment shopping trip.
ReplyDeleteOf course, with my current pregnancy brain I can still get to the checkout and realise they're still in the car, but still, I guess it's a start!