Reuse Those Bags!!!

These days, I see more and more people with reusable canvas shopping bags. I think it's fantastic! But what did all those people do with the bags they already had? I know that I have a ton of canvas bags that I've collected from one giveaway or another. Those are perfectly good to use. Better yet, reuse those old plastic and paper shopping bags that you used to get from the store that are now taking over your closets! Those last a lot longer than you think!

There are innumerable environmental reasons to reuse bags. Here are a few:
- Less waste going to the landfill
- Less energy spent on recycling
- Fewer trees lost to paper production, along with all the side effects of manufacturing that pollute our environment
- Less petroleum depleted (yes, plastic is made from petroleum!)

But there is also an economic incentive to reusing bags. Most major stores, and even some smaller ones, give you a small discount for every bag you use. Most of the health food stores I've visited give $0.10 per bag. My supermarket gives $0.02 per reused store bag ($0.04 if you have paper and plastic) or $0.05 per canvas bag. Chances are, the stores you frequent give this credit, too. Just make sure to remind them of it, since they like to forget.

In an average week, I'll save $0.36, which isn't a ton, but why not keep it in your pocket? Over a year, this amounts to $18.72. Hey, I'll take it!