The green crowd has used, and re-used, reusable shopping bags for years. My methodology had been to reuse the paper-in-plastic bags from the grocery store.  When these would start to get shabby, I would use the paper bag to recycle newspapers and the plastic bag as a trashcan liner, and get a new paper-in-plastic bag the next time I visited the grocery store. 

This system had worked well for me, and felt right, so I suggested it to my husband, Darrin.  He seemed to agree that it was a good system, but usually would not take the paper-in-plastic bags with him shopping.  I continued to offer the suggestion, and maybe even nagged, but with little result. 

One day I noticed some really sharp reusable sacks in the store.  They were made from recycled bottles, had a cool geometric design and only cost $.99 each.  I bought a set and planned to keep them in my trunk.  Darrin could then keep the set of paper-in-plastic that we already had in his trunk.  Now, I thought, he would have no excuse to not reuse bags.

Even with his own set of bags in the trunk, Darrin was still not regularly using them.  One evening, as we were unpacking groceries from my colorful, store-bought bags, I asked him why he was not using his bags.  He replied that he did not like to carry around the paper bags and wanted the “good sacks”.  I gave him the good sacks that night and bought myself a new set when I returned to the market.

A good looking set of reusable grocery bags might be just what you need to help that special someone break the habit of accepting new plastic bags at each visit to the grocery store.  Besides, Darrin looks very handsome carrying his colorful shopping bags and there is nothing more attractive than a man who listens to his wife.