Reusable Bags

[JulieDB]

My favorite bags are the thick plastic. My first one was from Trader Joe's. It gets a lot of use and it is still going strong. I also have a couple of generic ones. One has a cat on it and the other roses. They hold up very well and can be quickly washed at the kitchen sink.

I have cloth bags from just about every store I shop at. Often I do try to match the bag to the store but that isn't necessary. I do have a couple from Target that I really like. One is red and has a built in reinforced bottom. The other is made of thick off-white fabric and has the red store emblem on it.

In the future I will be looking for more of the good plastic bags. Some of the store bags just do not hold up at all. I got some really pretty tie dye ones from Top Foods. They were cheap but made very poorly. Didn't last any time at all. And some of those fabric ones do not wash well. They seem to come undone right away.

I also like the huge ones from Costco.

Some of the stores that I shop at give discounts. Some do not. I usually use them because if I don't then I wind up with a ton of paper or plastic shopping bags. One of the cities here has done away with the plastic ones. Usually when I go to Winco I fail to bring enough bags. The prices are just sooo good I usually wind up buying more than I intended. So 2 or 3 plastic bags coming into the house seems to be the right amount for me. I do use them from time to time.

[chbamb2001]

When you file alphabetically, do you file it by brand name, or "type"? Example, Colgate Toothpaste, would you file under C, or T?

I file by the Brand Name 99% of the time. One exception is cereal. I file them by company name: Kellogg's, Post, GM because that is how they are arranged in my stores. But even this exception has an exception: Cheerios. I file coupons that include Cheerios or are for Cheerios in the C file and not G (General Mills).

I find that filing by brand name is faster. Also, it cuts down on the number of coupons I would have to flip through - - Only Cheerio coupons under C, all other cereal coupons spread out in the G, K, P, Q, etc. sections.

Hope this helps!

[Rene S]

Stores that offer credit on bags:
Target, .05
Sentry, .02
Goodwill, .05

I use reusable bags everywhere and no one cares whose/what kind of bags you use. I even use backpack at Target when I bike and they still give me credit.

I have a sack of bags in my back seat I bring in for larger trips. I also have two fold-up bags in my purse for small trips. I got my fold up bags from Bath & Body Works and I love them! I think they cost $2, but they're a nice size and fold up easily. Plus, they have pretty designs. :-)

[bugweena]

I had to think too hard to figure out what category I put some coupons in so now my binder is organized alphabetically. To the PP who asked, it's by brand, so colgate toothpaste is under "c"

For wine tags, generally good for a 'category' such as meat, cheese, etc. I put in front of my binder so I don't forget to use them.