Cheap, easy reusable produce bags

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I’ve been seeking reusable produce bags for quite a while.

I’ve been cringing when I pull a plastic bag off the roller at the store, cringing even more when I let some spinach sit too long in the fridge and it gets gooey in the bottom of a plastic bag, meaning I have to throw it out rather than reuse it, and cringing again when I find a mound of bags in my big grocery bag and recycle the unneeded ones.

I bought some drawstring material to whip up my own produce bags. That was sometime in late 2008.

But last week, at Dollar Tree, I found these bags. As the slogan says, “everything is just $1,” and that included$1 for FOUR little drawstring bags, which I used this weekend for my grocery shopping.

Each bag is 14″ by 18″ (about 36cm by 46cm), with a drawstring cord.
The lightweight material won’t add much to my produce costs.
They are a nice bright light green that shows up in the depths of my grocery sacks.
They are made of mesh, so veggies can be rinsed in the bag, and the bag can be rinsed (or, most likely, thrown in the washer occasionally).

When she was scanning my veggies, the checker fondled one of the bags and said, “ooh, this is nice!”

The drawback is that they come in a sturdy plastic pouch for which I can’t think of a use. But in the end, I think they are less resource-intensive than a stack of plastic bags — and less money-intensive than the reusable bags being sold in my grocery store produce section for $7.50 for three.

I found mine in the household/automotive section. They are marketed as “mom’s car solutions,” but mine were with the pledge dusters and the like. When I’m in the area, I’m going to go back for one more package.

UPDATED: If you can’t find these at your dollar store, Tidy Totes are available at Amazon, but watch out for the shipping unless you’re ordering multiple items from the same retailer.

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Post Tags: bags, produce, reusable

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Comments ( 11 )

[...] Cheap easy reusable produce bags Cheap Like Me Posted by root 1 minute ago (http://www.cheaplikemeblog.com) I 39 ve been seeking reusable produce bags for quite a while light green that shows up in the depths of my grocery sacks would probably love to take the plastic bag your produce bags came in add a comment name required wind powered electricity do not acce Discuss | Bury | News | Cheap easy reusable produce bags Cheap Like Me [...]

Cheap easy reusable produce bags Cheap Like Me | bean bag chairs added these pithy words on Jun 13 09 at 6:33 pm

[...] the compact nylon bags that I carry in my purse to whip out at a moment’s notice. I even use reusable produce bags at the grocery [...]

What to do with plastic bags | Cheap Like Me added these pithy words on Feb 16 10 at 12:42 pm

Thank you for the tip. I was going to make some of these, but you cant beat the price of a dollar. I will be heading to my local dollar store soon.

Patricia added these pithy words on Mar 30 09 at 8:18 am

If there’s a children’s consignment store near you, they would probably love to take the plastic bag your produce bags came in off your hands. That way they can package toys that have little parts together easily.

Shannon added these pithy words on Mar 30 09 at 11:18 am

Can you use the plastic container to hold the drawstring bags in between shopping trips?

Condo Blues added these pithy words on Mar 30 09 at 7:49 pm

Depending on the size of the bag you could use it to put toiletries in when traveling or for your car.

Danielle added these pithy words on Mar 31 09 at 12:18 pm

Dude! I bought the same bags a couple weeks ago at Dollar Tree & have been keeping them in my purse. They’re brilliant.

Nikol added these pithy words on Apr 01 09 at 8:54 pm

My Mr. Frugal and I were wandering the aisles of our Dollar Tree last week and spotted these. I had them in my hand thinking “These are such a great deal-but what would I do with them?” Now I know! Oh I do hope they still have them. You could always put markers in the empty plastic bag-or sunscreen for the pool this summer!

StradaTostada added these pithy words on Apr 03 09 at 8:20 pm

How funny! I just sewed up about 30 bags with a few yards of cheap, lightweight fabric. It’s didn’t take long at all and I’m not a very good sewer! I’m using them for all my produce and all the stuff I buy in bulk. It’s been great and the cashier’s have given me the byob rebate for each one I use in addition to the big cloth grocery bags I use. It’s great!

Kimberly added these pithy words on Apr 05 09 at 4:59 pm

Hmmm….I am an elementary school teacher and we use a lot of plastic baggies for storage, take-home items, etc. Maybe this little sturdy plastic bags could make a good “book baggie.”

Jen added these pithy words on Apr 15 09 at 8:47 am

I had been looking on the internet for some and they are all pretty expensive. Then I found this website and realized that I had some in my car that my mom bought me. I ran right out to the car and brought them in! I am going to buy one more set! As another suggestion, you could also buy some of those toggle things (you push the button down and slide the toggle down, often on coats. Sorry, I don’t know what to call them!) from a craft store and put them on the bags to help hold them closed.