Brea Getting Fit

How many times have you been checking out at the grocery store recently and been asked “paper or plastic”? I was out shopping last week and the high-school kid bagging my produce noticed that most of the products were organic, and that I was buying tofu (I find this important because this is when he asked THE question), and he asked (after already bagging 1/2 of my groceries in plastic) “um…did you want paper bags?” I thought it was sweet of him to think of asking, but more than anything it steeled my conviction to make the move to reusable grocery bags. My husband and I have been throwing around the idea for literally years, but never seem to come to a “do it now” moment. Well, I had that moment. When I was asked paper or plastic, my gut instinct was to flippantly say ‘neither’. I was good, though, and politely assured the poor kid that it was alright (this time…). And then I went home and started doing some research. I found this site that sold reusable grocery bags (and a myriad of other eco-friendly products) and decided to go for it.

I purchased 3 and now wish that I had stocked up. I normally come home with a good 6-9 bags worth of groceries (which leads me to wonder why, since there are only 2 of us…). So I dutifully asked for paper bags for the remainder of my groceries and headed home. I got back online and stocked up on bags. Let me say that they’re awesome. Granted, they dont’ stretch like traditional plastic grocery bags, but they also won’t sit in a landfill for years and years to come. I hope that when I go shopping, people notice my super-cute dragonfly-print bags and ask me where I got them. I’d be more than happy to share, especially if it means less plastic floating around our world. This whole experience made me realize that it’s not about changing the world, it’s about changing yourself, one habit at a time. And having super-cute grocery bags has perks, too (I adore dragonflies)…It makes me think twice about buying bulky items, which in turn keeps me eating healthy (I know Oreos are vegan, but do I REALLY need to chow down on them?!). YAY for going green!