???
Do you know what I mean? LOL!
DH and I have been trying to buy more "fresh" stuff at the store (staying on the perimeter of the store where the fruits, veggies, meat, milk, cheese is at)
Anyway!
The things like nannas, apples, onions and things that I need to group together in a bag (to pay for and to bring home safely).
What is out there to use instead of reaching for those plastic bags???

Help! :thumb

???
Do you know what I mean? LOL!
DH and I have been trying to buy more "fresh" stuff at the store (staying on the perimeter of the store where the fruits, veggies, meat, milk, cheese is at)
Anyway!
The things like nannas, apples, onions and things that I need to group together in a bag (to pay for and to bring home safely).
What is out there to use instead of reaching for those plastic bags???

Help! :thumb

Sorry no help. I am trying to find this out also. I don't bag bananas any more since they come in a bunch or two. I have been struggling w/ some ideas especially since the cashiers would want to see what you picked up. I also need it for when I buy bulk items(beans, rice, oats, ect...)

Please somebody help us:D

I've seen bags in a variety of materials sold on etsy. I'm thinking of just reusing some mesh onion bags for greens. I don't put apples, bananas, potatoes, or other solid fruits/veggies in bags. They go into my cart/basket, then into my cloth bags when I pay.

I just found a website you can check out

http://www.pristineplanet.com/serch.asp?prod=produce+bags&tag_id=0&expense=0

They have some produce bags listed below.

I got mine from Your Own Bags (http://yourownbags.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=3&zenid=3c3cb0cd2f26c252063838c5b2f529a8). I think it is an MDC mama too :love

We use string bags, something like these (http://www.4rfuture.com/images/products/lg_str100_filled.jpg). I can't make any buying recommendations, though, since ours are re-purposed. They originally came with DD's blocks (http://www.atoygarden.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=285). Since we have a "block bin" and the bags are just the right size, it was a doubly good purchase. :D

Awesome!
Love the "Your own bags" site! I think I might go in that direction! They have "produce bags" and a few other bags that may come in handy! So glad I thought to ask you lovely ladies! It was just yesterday at the store when I reached for a veggie baggie for my tators it dawned on me that I was defeating the purpose of my cloth bags by bagging my items in plastic! I try to reuse it when I get home, but it just seemed so silly for me to do!

Can't wait to show DH that site so I can get a few things!
Thanks mamas!

www.ecobags.com also carries grain and produce bags. That's what we use for fruit and bulk needs, and IMO they work great!

I got mine from reusablebags.com

I got mine from reusablebags.com
Me, too. I have some large and some small muslin produce bags. They're great.

For many fruits/veggies, I don't even bag them. One bell pepper doesn't need a bag. Three sweet potatoes don't need a bag. I just group them together on the conveyor belt at the checkout. For items I want to contain, I use the muslin bags. If I'm buying something that will wilt, like carrots or broccoli or asparagus, I put it in a glass container in the fridge ASAP after I get home.

I use lingerie bags (3 for $1 at the Dollar Store), they are extremely lightweight, and I've had mine for awhile and they are still holding up.

I know not everything needs bagged...but for some reason I feel very anal about having things "loose" in the cart. Just weirds me out! LOL!
That's a great idea about going to the $$ store and getting lingerie bags! Those would be much more easier on my budget!

Thanks mama!

well you could not use the bag and just annoy the cashier...:D
or you could bring your own from home and just reuse it over and over

or just get the fruit bags and then recycle them

You can make your own with tulle or other meshy fabric. I had a link to a pattern, but it's gone now. Anyway, essentially you just sew some simple drawstring bags out of tulle.

I sewed up drawstring bags out of old sheer curtain fabric. There is always an abundance of cheap old curtain fabric at the thrift store.

I use lingerie bags (3 for $1 at the Dollar Store), they are extremely lightweight, and I've had mine for awhile and they are still holding up.

I use these too. I bought them at Target 2/$1 a couple of years ago.

I just don't use the bags. If I was buying a bunch of really small things like chile peppers or something, I may. I usually just toss everything in the cart. The clerks have never acted like it's a pita. I group all the things together on the conveyor so the clerk can get all of each item on the scale/scanner at the same time.

I use the drawstring bags that my earth shoes come in. The bags are made of hemp. They are very similar to the eco produce bags.

I don't know if your store has those plastic tubs with handles (an alternative to a cart but not like the baskets with the plastic handles). Some of my grocery stores do and today I used one to put my produce in just loose (except for things like kale, which were quite wet from the water spray - those I put in a bag). The checkout girl didn't seem to have a problem with the loose items and I bought the tub so just had her put them back into it, leaving my reusable bags for the heavier not-loose items. I do want to pick up some cotton mesh fabric to make bags from though, especially for those wet items.

You can make your own with tulle or other meshy fabric. I had a link to a pattern, but it's gone now. Anyway, essentially you just sew some simple drawstring bags out of tulle.

I sewed up drawstring bags out of old sheer curtain fabric. There is always an abundance of cheap old curtain fabric at the thrift store.

Why the heck have I never thought of this?!
What a great idea, thanks!

I use lingerie bags (3 for $1 at the Dollar Store), they are extremely lightweight, and I've had mine for awhile and they are still holding up.

Brilliant!! I am going to do this too. :thumb

I sometimes ask for a cardboard carton to pile the stuff into in the cart. Each thing gets weighed, and that back into the carton. I find it easier to put a large box in the car than lots of bags. Then DH brings it up to the 2nd floor apt! Works better for large fruits and veggies than lots of little ones though.

I love the EcoBags - as an extra bonus you can get them from Frontier as well!

Down here they tend to sell produce in those mesh plasticy bags (I think I've only seen oranges sold in them lately in Canada). I carefully cut the tops off so I have the bag saved. I plan on bringing tons back home with me for shopping. I have given some to a friend as well. If you ever see them at the farmers market (they buy them on a big roll that they just cut to the length they want & then tie the ends) you could ask to buy a length.

I use lingerie bags (3 for $1 at the Dollar Store), they are extremely lightweight, and I've had mine for awhile and they are still holding up.

Good idea! we use those for washing, but you're right, they would probably work perfectly for produce. I'm too cheap to buy the expensive ones right now, maybe I'll ask for some for Christmas, but we already have some extra lingerie bags on hand.

I bought the net produce bags (and teh mesh bags for bulk items) from resusablebags.com, but I wish I had thought to get lingerie bags! What a great, affordable idea.

Hi,
I found some plastic produce bags at http://reusablebags.com/
and I love them. But, I learned from a cashier at the store that they weigh more than the plastic bags. She weighed the one I used and told me to let the cashiers know so that I don't get over charged and so far there have been no hassles! It is so nice not to use up so much plastic!!
I bought organic bags from this site but they have a good selection. I also bought some sandwich wraps for my husband's lunch which cuts way down on plastic sandwich bags.

The things like nannas, apples, onions and things that I need to group together in a bag (to pay for and to bring home safely).
What is out there to use instead of reaching for those plastic bags???

Help! :thumb

I put it all in a chico or reusable grocery bag. Makes for a longer check-out but otherwise works great. I'm waiting on my Eco-bag coop to finish up and then I'll have designated produce bags.:thumb

I never use bags. this does not annoy the cashier at all. What annoys the cashier is prebagged fruits and veggies in yet another bag. people thinking this somehow keeps their food clean (seriously. .. .its filthy already. wash it before you eat it) and people who put different kinds of fruit in one bag because its all the same price. soprry, we have to keep track of inventory buddy. I am just going to have to dig it all out, sort it, manhandle it, and then put it all back if you didn't tie a double square knot in the bag. Sorry . . . . there are lots ot hings that people did that annoyed me. skipping produce bags actually made me pretty happy.

I like the lingerie bag idea though.

I made a boatload of them from the white tulle from a (horrible) bridesmaid dress. I get comments - generally compliments - from the cashier/bagger every single time.

They're about 10x10" each. I need to make some more that are smaller. I took one large length and just had to sew the two sides. It's an idiot proof project as I'm not a sewer. I just tie the top of the bag, but, if you're really good, you could add a drawstring.

I like the evert-fresh green plastic bags. We buy a lot of lettuce because we have house rabbits, and it really does keep better in those. I wash them a billion times. There is something in the lining that does it, but I probably defeat it because when I wash it, I turn it inside out ... use it, wash it, inside out, use it again - so half the time it's inside out, if that made any sense.

Other stuff, NO BAG. Nothing annoys me more (as a human) than seeing people put 2 fruits each in a dozen plastic bags. Are you afraid they will have sex? Are you afraid that the cashier can't tell the difference between the apples and oranges? Even if I buy 12 apples, it REALLY doesn't matter ... I just line them all up on the conveyor belt next to each other.

Oh - and don't even get me started on the sackers who put one thing in each bag. ugh. and then they want to double-bag it and tie a KNOT! like it is REALLY easier for me to carry 25 half-full plastic bags instead of 2 heavy ones?

I love the idea of lingerie bags - never thought of that! And, making them out of curtain fabric! Great!! I do most of my fruit & veggie shopping these days at co-ops and markets, so I get to "bag my own" produce the way I want it.

--janis (the bagLESS Lady, or I try to be)