Going Green at the Grocery Store
Mar 28th 2008
Julia LondonMy Life As A Plebe
Jack London and I try to be as green as we can. We have all the new curly-que lightbulbs, the energy efficient air filters, and we follow the guidelines for water consumption. We walk where we can instead of drive (although walking to shops and restaurants is really very difficult in suburban America—a real pet peeve of mine).
We could do more, but we are conscious of the need to be green, and we are working on it.
The one place we can’t seem to get on board is the grocery store. Yes, we understand plastic is bad. But look at the chick in the picture. She has ONE tote bag, the sort of bag you get at RWA conventions, and we are to believe she has her week’s worth of groceries in that bag. What planet does she live on?
Okay, granted, maybe we eat too much, but with a baby, dogs, and two grownups who try and eat fresh and healthy (down 21 pounds, thank you very much) we can fill up a cart in no time—bottom and top. And as we wait for the bagger kid to sack it all up, we look at women strutting in with their two or three green bags. And then then we look at the dozens of little plastic bags filling out cart. How does the math work on that? How many canvas bags would we need to haul our grocery load each week? It seems like dozens, and I have to admit—it’s embarrassing.
You might be thinking we should cut down on the number of groceries we consume each week, and you’d be right. If Jack London gave up his chips and the ingredients for his special salsa that no one else will eat because its too hot, and his beer and—get this, I swear it’s true—his SNOBALLS, not only wouldwe save money, we would not need so many plastic bags. But he thinks that I should give up the dove dark chocolate (because he’s a rube), and the weight watchers giant fudge bars (he can just bite me). So, since he won’t listen to reason, we are stuck in plastic bag land.
What do you do to be green? Do you use a canvas bag to carry your groceries? What is your one must-have item from the grocery store each week?
68 Comments »
Gillian on 28 Mar 2008 at 4:24 am #
Wow, huge congrats on the 21 pounds! I had the big lecture from the doc this week concerning my blood pressure. “Fresh and healthy” eating has become very high on my list….
I cannot imagine canvas bags. I have three kids at home. And the pets to feed as well! We’ve thought about carrying our wrinkled bags back into the store. Fresh fruit is our must have, especially grapes of all colors and red delicious apples. Wish it lasted longer once it got home.
Are those giant fudge bars good? If I can eat fudge bars and lose weight, I might just have a chance.
Karen Rose on 28 Mar 2008 at 6:03 am #
Julia, you say SNOBALLS like it’s a bad thing
21 pounds is amazing! Yay! Go, girl.
I can’t imagine canvas bags either. I guess you could have 30 or 40 of them, but then you’d have to keep washing them to keep them clean, because the fudge bars do melt a little on the way home on a hot summer day and the broccoli (sp?) leaves all those little green crumbly things in the bag. Ick.
I recycle my plastic bags, kind of - I use them when I take my puppy walking to clean up after him. We recycle aluminum cans and when I’m on a writing tear, that blue bin is filled to the brim with pink TAB cans. Just doin’ my part for the planet (and keeping the guys in the TAB plant employed).
Margaret on 28 Mar 2008 at 6:21 am #
Congrats on the weight loss, Julia. IMNSHO, we were sold a bill of goods when plastic bags came into being. Paper was bad, plastic was good. We weren’t killing trees. but we were clogging up landfills. A couple of times, lately, I’ve tried paper again. It’s not the same paper as I used to get. Too thin & tears easily. The old, heavy, Kraft-type paper was wonderful. You could use it for so many things. (recycle?) I and my kids all had grocery bag covered text books. Great for autographs from your friends. Paper bags were good for various crafts, lining bird cages, etc. AND you could burn them when done. Thus, reducing them to ashes which didn’t clog landfills. Plastic bags are always ripped by the time I get home. Lucky if this doesn’t happen on the sidewalk. People try to convince me they are good for recycling. Other than picking up dog poo, I don’t know what. I have a plastic bag holder that is full and rarely remove one. Sigh. Guess I’m not so green. But I do hate plastic.
Margaret on 28 Mar 2008 at 6:23 am #
BTW, it’s my opinion that plastic bags and their cousins are the reason gas prices are so high. All that petroleum going into the making of them.
Margaret who’s on her hobby horse today
Ellen on 28 Mar 2008 at 7:25 am #
I try to do my best for Mama Nature, but it ain’t easy. My passive/aggressive sanitation man refuses to quietly place my wine bottles in the back of the truck. NO…he practically tosses them from my driveway. I’d wrap them in newspaper to keep things quiet, except they take newspapers on a different day!
And by the way, the pick up schedule is more complex than an honor student’s class schedule at MIT. Newspapers one day. Boxes another. Glass & plastic another. I’m to the point that I wait for my neighbors to put out their garbage so that I know what to do.
I’m tempted to fill a recycle bin with a year’s worth of saved plastic tampon applicators just to see how my P/A sanitation worker handles it. Does that make me a mean person?
Ellen on 28 Mar 2008 at 7:28 am #
Where on the food pyramid do “Snowballs” fall?
PJ on 28 Mar 2008 at 7:30 am #
Congrats on the weight loss. That’s terrific!
I’ve been recycling for years. I buy the curly-que light bulbs, energy efficient air filters, etc. I don’t use the “green” shopping bags, not sure why. It’s not as if I don’t have enough cloth bags. After 20+ years in banking and numerous conferences I have more than enough of them. Mostly, I think it’s just that I don’t think of it before I leave for the store. It’s not a habit. Maybe I need to just keep a supply of them in the van…and remember to take them into the store with me. Thanks, Julia, for the nudge I’ve been needing for awhile now.
My weekly “must haves” are fresh fruit and veggies, specifically bananas, blueberries, apples and broccoli. I don’t buy much ice cream during the winter but as soon as the weather warms my freezer will be stocked with cold snacks. I adore the WW Giant Fudge Bars, also their ice cream sandwiches. So good!
PJ on 28 Mar 2008 at 7:32 am #
Snoballs. Ahhh, the memories. I look longingly at the Snoball display every time I enter Walmart, then forcefully turn my head and continue on. I know my limits. One would *not* be enough!
Margaret on 28 Mar 2008 at 7:50 am #
In my rant on paper vs plastic, I forgot about the curly light bulbs. I only started using them about a year ago. But I am a definite convert. They last much longer than the the incandescents. The bulb in my outdoor lamp kept burning out in just a couple of months. I can’t change it. So, I have to ask my neighbor. The curly has been there almost a year and is still shining a bright welcome when I come home after dark.
I have a reading lamp that I put on the bed beside me for better light on my page. It fell over on me the other night and I was shocked that the lamp head was cool and didn’t burn me! A very big plus.
KariE on 28 Mar 2008 at 7:52 am #
21 pounds?!?! That is awesome!!! Congrats!!
Last month we started recycling. I actually called the city and had them drop off the plastic tubs (that was a big step for me). Let me tell you, we went from cramming our trash bin to the top (sometimes overflowing), to only 1/2 if not 3/4 full after putting the plastics/metal/paper/plastic in the bins. I was shocked the first week. I just wish I had done it sooner.
I reuse the plastic bags from the store as often as I can. If there is food that needs to be thrown away I normally double bag it then throw it in the outside trash. When my son was in diapers I used the grocery bags as doo-doo diaper bags. Why spend a dollar on them at the dollar store when you have them at home for “free”? :p
We have started buying the spiral EE lightbulbs, but I have yet to do the canvas bags. I fear that I will throw my back out by over laoding one bag with all my groceries.
KariE on 28 Mar 2008 at 7:55 am #
Ellen, if you do do the plastic applicator treatment to your P/A sanitation worker, you must get pictures. I’m trying to find something for my solid waste guy that continues to leave the trash bins in the road when done dumping them. If you want to know what his route is, just follow the trail of trash bins down the road. Grrrrr
elsiehogarth on 28 Mar 2008 at 7:59 am #
Congratulations Julia ! 21 pounds, excellent.
Snowballs are righ up there with Hostess Chocolate Cupcakes and the Cherry Pie. I’ll do a Homer…..Ahhhhhhh, Hostess!!!!
We do recycle: bottles, newspapers, magazines, oil, cardboard etc. but I would never be able to carry 20 or more canvas bags to the supermarket. I have to stick to plastic in this area.
Julie on 28 Mar 2008 at 8:11 am #
Congrats on the 21 lbs!
I’ve converted to canvas bags (when I remember to take them with me…I’ve only forgotten a couple times since I bought them). They do tend to hold more (both volume & weight) than the plastic bags. I’ve been using the lightbulbs for just over a year, I guess…I like them.
doglady on 28 Mar 2008 at 8:25 am #
Snoballs? At the TOP of the food chain, baby! At the top!
Congrats on the 21 lbs! You go, Julia! And I hate to say it, but dear Jack London IS a rube if he expects a woman to give up her Dove!!
I use the canvas bags and have for years. It is easy for me because I am the only person in the house. Dog food and cat food I buy in bulk so I don’t really need a bag for that - just a hand truck to get it down the hill from where I park my car. My years living in Europe trained me to shop for just a few days at a time and to schlep my groceries in canvas bags. Since I work in a Wal-Mart Supercenter it is easy for me to justify shopping a little every day. Once I write my way out of Wal-Mart, however, they will be lucky if I come to shop once a month!! I’ll be like the hill people who only come to town every blue moon or when their check comes in!
My must have? Reese’s Cups! The big ones! And Three Dog Bakery peanut butter dog treats. Running out of those results in pouting dogs! Not pretty
PJ on 28 Mar 2008 at 8:28 am #
KariE, when we lived in Jacksonville the trash guys were awful with the cans. They threw them all over the place, up and down the street. One Christmas, when my niece was visiting, we had a marathon baking session. I loaded a container with homemade cookies and candies, attached a card thanking the garbage crew for all their hard work and put it on top of our trash can on pick-up day. I continued to do that periodically throughout the years. For the rest of the time we lived there, every trash day, all up and down our street, cans would be tossed in yards, in the gutter, all over the place…except for one house. Our cans would be upright, next to our garage, with the lids firmly on top. Don’t know if it would work with your guys but it sure worked with ours!
KariE on 28 Mar 2008 at 8:39 am #
PJ-Thanks for the advice. I’m not sure that a container of cookies and candies will do him any good. His belly tells me he is getting those from somebody else already. I might try a fruit basket. Thanks!!
Julia London on 28 Mar 2008 at 9:01 am #
Gillian, those giant fudge bars are delicious, and they are very low cal.
Margaret, we used to use the paper bags in the same way you did. But now, we try and get them and they are almost always out. I think that is everyone’s solution to the canvas bag.
Julie, how many bags do you need for a typical load of groceries?
Doglady, if we lived in a more urban area, I would do precisely that–buy for a couple of days at a time. I am convinced our grocery bill would be less. But we tend to buy things because we start to worry we won’t get back to the store in time and just have to have it.
Paula M on 28 Mar 2008 at 9:08 am #
Congrats on the weight loss julia, it’s fantastic!
I have used the curly light bulbs for a few years now,and recycle as much as possible. In England ,and more specifically the area where I live we have 2 ‘wheelie’ bins a black one for unrecyleable rubbish and a gren one for plastics, paper and cardboard. Glass we have to take to a glass recycle bin near the supermarket.
When we were in France on holiday a couple of years ago we purchased for about £1 a big reusable bag for groceries , as in France they don’t give out plastic bags in supermarkets you have to buy the reusable ones. I have since got 2 more and also have several ‘bags for life’ that we can buy for between 10p and £3 in the supermarkets over here. It did take me a while to get into the habit of taking them with me, the are now reintroducing paper bags over here and a lot of the shops are going to be using the instead of plastic ones.
Julia London on 28 Mar 2008 at 9:31 am #
Oh, I forgot to mention that we are big recyclers and have been for years. But our recycling people don’t take glass!!
Paula, I know a lot of the grocers here are trying to move to no plastic bags, too. Just not MY grocer it would seem!
Claudia Dain on 28 Mar 2008 at 9:37 am #
21 pounds is awesome! Are you forced to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe?
I’m pretty green. Have used the curly lightbulbs since the minute they hit the Home Depot shelves, have the house super-insulated, use a ground source heat pump for heating and air-conditioning, and use plastic bags, or paper, whichever suits my needs.
I think the plastic bags are awesome! I use them to collect the dog poop, send food home with the kids when they come to visit, line the waste cans in the house, hold the messy stuff in the trunk of the car. A myriad of uses, again and again! Isn’t that recycling?
We have a private trash pick-up and it’s super convenient on the recyclables—-everything goes into one bin and gets hauled to the mailbox. The recycling guys in the truck divide it right there, tossing this way and that, and it all gets into the truck, not a bit of it strewn about. Hey, they muff it and I’ll hire another company to do the job.
Sabrina Jeffries on 28 Mar 2008 at 9:38 am #
We recycle as much as possible, but like you, Julia, I buy too many groceries to go with the canvas bags, although I should start doing that at the one store where I never buy much at a time.
I DO recycle the plastic bags by bringing them back to the grocery to put in those plastic bag recycling containers. And I use the backs of paper. What can I say, I’m cheap!
Julia London on 28 Mar 2008 at 9:50 am #
Sabrina, I do that, too — I use the back pages of manuscripts. Once, I made handouts for a speech I was giving, got to the place, and discovered the handouts were printed on the back of manuscript pages — and yes, it had to be a sex scene. But the people there had a good laugh over it.
Emmiebee on 28 Mar 2008 at 9:58 am #
Twenty one pounds! Wow, Julia, you’ve lost a whole toddler’s-worth of weight! I try to be as green as possible- I recycle paper, plastic, and glass, and use the Curly-Q bulbs. But- I need those plastic grocery bags for other uses- clening five cat boxes a day uses them up quickly! My DH uses them to tote things to and from school, as well. So they are re-used, if not recycled. I would love to have a hybrid car someday, but they are just too far out of our price range right now. They even keep their re-sale value, damn them! Also, I keep the heat low and use an electric lap blanket to keep me warm- that helps, right? My husband has a metabolism like a furnace, so he survives quite nicely at sub-arctic temperatures.
Karen Hawkins on 28 Mar 2008 at 10:00 am #
WOOHOO! That’s AWESOME about your 21 lbs! I’m weighing in on Monday so I’ll report my progress then.
We use the green totes. I have five big ones and a special red one that holds four bottles of wine (bless Publix!), which pretty much holds an entire cart’s worth of groceries. I’ve been trying to go to the grocery store only once a week to save on gas. It’s so expensive just driving around now — sheesh!
I recycle plastic and newspapers and, like you guys, recycle old manuscript paper. We also mulch, which is a pain, but very good for our shrubberies.
I would REALLY like a hybrid car, but I don’t know much about them yet, but I’m researching it. Any of you guys have one of those?
As for must haves — a bottle of red wine (One glass a night!) and Healthy Choice chocolate ice cream bars. YUMMM!!!
SheridanLA on 28 Mar 2008 at 10:02 am #
Congratulations on the 21 lbs!
Would it be odd to admit I have never had a snoball? I am not sure I know what one is.. huh.
as far as the green thing.. I use the canvas bags. I love them. I have enough from various sources that I brought the entire lot with me and had enough to bag al the groceries for Thanksgiving dinner for 10. I found that what they usually bag in plastic fits into about a 3rd amount of the canvas. I also have no more broken bags, stronger straps and… they squish up enough to take shopping with me at malls, bookstores, etc. It took a while to get into the habit - running back to my car halfway to the store.. but to me, it has been worth developing the habit. I never recycled the plastic ones.. I even try to not use the plastic produce bags. They are just as bad.
I also like the flourescent bulbs. but had to add some little Xenon lights in my office because the flourescent flickering and computer display flickering were making my eyes sooooo tired.
ladydawgfan on 28 Mar 2008 at 10:06 am #
Here in Vermont, we are required by the city to recycle. We actually have a big green wheelie bin, bigger than our trash bin, to throw recyclables into. Glass, cans, paper, plastic, it all goes in together, and every other week, a truck comes by to empty the bin and haul every thing away. It’s convenient and paid for with taxes, and keeps everything out of the landfill.
As for the curly lightbulbs, I use them in hard to reach places and in the basement, but otherwise, I hate them. They are a cold light that gives me a headache when I try to read by them, and their constant flickering drives me nuts. I’m going to be an incandescent bulb hoarder if the gubment ever gets a bug in it’s ear to ban them (God forbid!!)!!
Plastic bags are used and re-used to line household trash cans, clean the cat box, as impromptu kitchen gloves, and other messy jobs, and our groceries all recycle them if they get out of hand.
And congrats on the 21 lbs!!! PHENOMENAL!!!!
Nicole Jordan on 28 Mar 2008 at 10:20 am #
LOL, Julia! No way could we get our groceries in even 3 canvas bags. And we use plastic bags, but we recycle those so we should get some credit for being a little green, IMO. Although we have yet to get any curlycue light bulbs. Athough we did just buy some new energy saving interior flood lights. Haven’t used them yet.
Congrats on the 21 pounds! That’s awesome!
Margaret on 28 Mar 2008 at 10:28 am #
ladydawgfan, I haven’t notice any flickering with my curlies. Odd. And they seem as warm a lite as the incandescents. I do dislike the flourescent tube lights. They are as you describe. Cold & flickering.
I had to laugh at using the back of paper. I’ve always done that. Love the bank envelopes if they don’t put ads on the back. Or little hearts from the teller. My laugh is because I make quilts. Early on a teacher said that it was permissable to use the “wrong” side of fabric is that was what you needed. She said it was free since it came with the “right” side. Which we had already paid for. Consider the back of your paper as a freebie. BTW, it was really hard to get used to the concept of using the back of fabric. I felt guilty for years. LOL
Just remember where you left that manuscript. I may want to read it!
Kim on 28 Mar 2008 at 10:52 am #
Julia–Congrats on the 21 lbs! That’s amazing.
We use the curly light bulbs too. Love those! We recycle pop cans and reuse our plastic grocery bags.
Ronlyn on 28 Mar 2008 at 11:07 am #
Congrats on your weight loss Julia! That’s wonderful.
I do use canvas bags at the grocery store for all my little “in between” trips. I keep a couple in each car for just such occasions. For the big shopping I use the plastic bags and then I bring them back to the grocery store and reuse them until they are falling apart. Or I use the to dump the dirty diapers that no one lets you leave anywhere. Or I use them for lunch bags because they are oh so classy and do so much for my professional image. *rolling my eyes*
When I ask for paper bags I use them to put the garbage foods in for the lawn waste (melon rinds, corn cobs, things like that.)
I’m a recycling fool…it took me awhile, but now I’ve got it down.
We use those curly light bulbs where we can and conserve wherever possible. *shrug*
Claudia Dain on 28 Mar 2008 at 11:12 am #
I’m chuckling about using the back of manuscript paper. I don’t have any of that! I don’t print the book until I mail it off, and that lone copy goes to the publisher. Piles of paper hanging around my house? No way. The day when publishers will accept an electronic file *only* is going to be cause for celebration.
I don’t have any flickering or cold light from my curly bulbs either, though I do think they were more prone to that when they first came out. They’re better now, the light warmer.
About hybrids, DH is Car Man. He truly missed his calling. Anyway, he drives a diesel engine which he’s converted to run on *used* vegetable oil, which he gets for free from a local Mexican restaurant. See, the restaurant has to pay to dispose of their used oil; they’re thrilled that DH will take it off their hands for nothing.
How green is that? Oh, and the mileage is about 80 MPG. He can go 100 miles for a dollar.
anneriailin on 28 Mar 2008 at 11:22 am #
I’m a little green, I suppose. I take my plastic bags back to the grocery store to recycle and here in NY we pay the 5 cents a can/bottle for soda so I take those back for recycle and to get my nickle back!! Yes, I’m cheap. But I also recycle the other bottles that don’t have the deposit on them when I can. I bought two of the reusable bags for groceries but keep forgetting them at home. -sigh-
My biggest thing is that I have started riding the bus to work. I drive up to park & ride (less than 5 miles) and ride it to downtown Albany. I find I really enjoy the ride each morning and evening. Best of all, I’m not having to put up with all of those other people on the road! lol
Oh and BTW….it snowed up here in upstate NY today!! I’m ready for spring to get here!
–dorothy
Ann in IL on 28 Mar 2008 at 11:22 am #
We have recycled for years. I put newspapers in the brown paper bags, and seperate all the other stuff. Our city collectors do not take glass anymore.
The Grocery store I frequent refunds 5 cents for every canvas/green bag you bring in and don’t use the plastics.
anneriailin on 28 Mar 2008 at 11:25 am #
I have a question about those curly bulbs. How do you dispose of them? Can they just be thrown away like regular light bulbs?
–dorothy
Claudia Dain on 28 Mar 2008 at 11:27 am #
Why won’t some cities take glass anymore? That astounds me. Isn’t glass super easy to recycle?
Oh, and I mulch everything in the yard; you don’t have to water nearly as much, keeps the weeds down without chemicals, and if you get your mulch from the city about 2 or 3 months after Christmas, the mulch smells like Christmas trees! Of course, you have to time it juuuuuust right.
Ronlyn on 28 Mar 2008 at 11:39 am #
Oh, and we have rain barrels that we use for my garden. One of the benefits of being in Seattle, plenty of rain water to use. LOL
Ronlyn on 28 Mar 2008 at 11:49 am #
Dorothy, We haven’t had to toss any yet, but I was planning on just throwing them out like a normal bulb.
Julia London on 28 Mar 2008 at 11:51 am #
Sheridan, a snoball is a pink, coconutty thing that no sane person in their right mind would ever eat. My apologies to anyone who has eaten a snoball on this board :-).
Claudia, I never send in a paper copy–its all electronic. But it comes back on paper. So the edited manuscript gets reused.
KL on 28 Mar 2008 at 12:03 pm #
Keep in mind that clerks will double-bag a liquid laundry detergent bottle - which has a handle on it, for crying out loud. You can put easily 4-5 plastic bags worth of groceries in one canvas bag, especially if you use the ones that are hardcore sturdy. If I forget my canvas bags, I’ll leave the grocery store with twenty plastic bags (including the double-bagged items). But I’ll leave with four to six canvas bags when I don’t forget them.
There’s no need to stop buying Snoballs and Dove (unless you look at some of the ingredients in there - oi!). There’s plenty of room.
As for my can’t-leave-without… I’m a Cheez It whore. Even though I look at the nasty ingredients - oi!
catslady on 28 Mar 2008 at 12:23 pm #
My store just started selling those bags and I bought a nifty one that folds and zips when not in use. So I just bought one to begin with and you should see the dirty looks I get from the bagger - now my daughter works in this store and all the clerks and baggers have been told over and over about this (my daughter thinks it’s a great idea) but they are still fighting it. They are even suppose to credit you 5 cents if you bring your own bags (any kind) but most don’t and I’m way too embarrassed to ask lol. I have to have my Activia yogurt
Julia London on 28 Mar 2008 at 12:27 pm #
You guys have convinced me that even Julia and Jack London can use canvas bags. I hadn’t thought about them holding more — I was thinking it was a switch of one for the other.
KL, cheezits are the BOMB. One of these days, when the weight watcher nazis aren’t looking, I am going to pound a box of those. MMmmmmmm
Margaret on 28 Mar 2008 at 12:50 pm #
I saw a couple of patterns for crocheting the mesh bags that seem to be popular in Europe. I don’t know know if I want to get that extremely green, yet. They are kewl looking, however.
My problem is the weight. The groceries. Not mine. Mine is beyond hope. Why do the clerks put ALL the heavy stuff in one bag? Because they are mostly young, strong and want to get out of there early.
I do have one of those 2-wheeled carts in the trunk. So handy for so much. I set it outside the trunk, pile groceries into and make one sweet trip into the house with everything. No strain. I also use it to cart chairs & other accoutrements to grandkid’s games. Love my chair-in-a-bag w/drink holders.
Anneriallin, I don’t know what you do with the burnt-out curlies as it hasn’t happened yet. The outdoor lamp one has been going for some time.
And I want to know why glass isn’t being recycled anymore, also. How odd.
Margaret on 28 Mar 2008 at 12:54 pm #
Attention all: Please notice that I have used my $5 word for the day when I used “accoutrements”. Aka in plain English as “my stuff”. If I use words like that IRL, my grandkids laugh at me for making up words. Can’t teach those whippersnappers anything!
Sheridan LA on 28 Mar 2008 at 1:17 pm #
Julia, the snoballs sound akin to Twinkies… shelf life of decades, etc.. wonder if someone has done the “Snoball Chronicles” like they did with Twinkies… heh
I forgot my must-have item… Diet Pepsi with Lime.. and Brie cheese. I blame my friend for this.. I was not a brie junkie ’til I started hanging out with her.. the wench.
Sheridan LA on 28 Mar 2008 at 1:18 pm #
Nice use of “accoutrements” by the way, Margaret!
Kerri on 28 Mar 2008 at 1:21 pm #
Didn’t I just hear that the curlie bulbs have some level of mercury in them? Mostly it was said that you might not want them over food preparation areas in case one breaks. (What - randomly? Or do they think we install and drop light bulbs on our food constantly?) I would think that if the concern is mercury, then disposal should be handled differently …
ladydawgfan on 28 Mar 2008 at 1:36 pm #
I forgot to list my “must have’s” in my earlier post. I can’t live without my V-8 juice, my oranges, my roasted red pepper hummus, or my Little Debbie’s 100 calorie Sno Puffs, the dieters ultra yummie alternative to the high calorie SnoBall.
ladydawgfan on 28 Mar 2008 at 1:46 pm #
Oh, and DIET COKE!!! I have been known to cover my nightshirt with sweats and drive to the gas station in my slippers for a cold one when my store ran out!!!
KariE on 28 Mar 2008 at 2:07 pm #
I forgot my must have, too. They include (but not limited to
), water, fresh fruit (unless it is out of season and at $7 per lb, frozen will do), fresh veggies (some goes with frozen veggies as the fruit) and croutons.
Claudia Dain on 28 Mar 2008 at 2:31 pm #
Julia, I am SO jealous that you don’t have to mail in a manuscript. I have to mail TWO. The postage costs alone…shudder.
My biggest objection to the canvas bags is the weight. I don’t even carry a leather purse anymore because of the weight. But those mesh bags, that would solve the problem. But it would take a pile of mesh bags to get all my groceries from the grocery to the kitchen counter.
Margaret, I’ve noticed that it’s the young baggers, usually boys, who put all the heavy stuff in one bag. The women baggers know better! Now I just ask them to split it up. I’m so over being shy and retiring about my grocery bag weightage!
Claudia Dain on 28 Mar 2008 at 2:34 pm #
Forgot the must-have: diet Snapple. Which I get at BJs, which doesn’t provide bags of any sort.
There’s a moral here somewhere.
Laidybyrd on 28 Mar 2008 at 3:04 pm #
I’ve started bringing my own bags to the store. We’ve gotten so many free tote-bags from a variety of sources that I can fill the back end of the car with them, filled with groceries. (And no I’m not talking about the back end of a Mini Cooper.) LOL
Emmiebee on 28 Mar 2008 at 3:20 pm #
I forgot the get-out-of-my-way item, too! It’s Skinny Cow Mint Chocolate Ice Cream Cones. Look out if I even run low on these guys. Injuries have been known to occur.
-Emmiebee
RachelG on 28 Mar 2008 at 3:40 pm #
I recycle cans and paper. My must haves of the week are Stargazer lillies and People Magazine.
Paula M on 28 Mar 2008 at 4:10 pm #
I forgot to say that all my veggie raw kitchen waste goes into my composter and gets put on my veggie garden!
My ‘can’t do without thing(s) ‘ are like catslady Activia yogurts(especially strawberry) and cadbury’s dairy milk chocolate. At the moment I’ve got a supply of the chocolate thanks to mother’s Day and Easter!
Been shopping tonight (now 2110 in the UK) and in our local supermarket thye give store loyalty points for reusing bags and the points then turn into money off your shopping every 1/4.
Margaret Garland on 28 Mar 2008 at 4:52 pm #
Julia, I just re-read your blog from this mornng. I meant to comment on it but we were all having fun with the bag discussion.
You say not being able to walk to a restaurant is one of your pet peeves. May I ask why? I live in semi-rural PA. The closest thing to me is a restaurant/bar about 1/2 -3/4 mile away. I don’t drive there, for sure. Altho I could probably stand to walk off the calories on the way home. LOL This is not a fern bar or whatever the sophisticated places are called these days. It’s the kind where the plumbers/electricians, blue-collar guys stop off for a beer on their way home. Creekside has great hamburgers and the absolute best French fries in the county. I go there for my vitamin G(rease) fix.
I don’t think I’ve ever lived near an eating place I could walk to. I’m not sure I could deal with the smells of cooking food that I’m not having. Hmm. I just never thought of it as a problem and am curious about your peeve. Interesting.
Margaret Garland on 28 Mar 2008 at 4:54 pm #
BTW, it’s bad enough that I can smell the chocolate from the Peter Paul/Mounds factory when the wind is right. And it’s 4 miles away. TG Hershey is farther.
Margaret Garland on 28 Mar 2008 at 4:57 pm #
>>I don’t drive there, for sure
Margaret Garland on 28 Mar 2008 at 4:59 pm #
That was weird. The last post did’t go thru all the way.
Oh I know. Because of the arrows. Well, I meant to say in whichever post it was that I don’t walk there.
And I said I need to close up the computer and call it a day. Obviously.
Too many senior moments this time of day.
As my granddaughter used to say, I work at the Duh Factory.
Trisha on 28 Mar 2008 at 6:30 pm #
Well, I live in Southwest Arkansas, so everything is green around me but how the folks treat the enviornment.
I prefer paper over plastic because I recycle all household cardboard, etc. If I have paper bags I put the recycled cardboard in the bag and just through the entire bag out. When I do have to get plastic, I reuse them whenever I can then recycle what I can’t.
I grow a pretty good size garden in the spring and summer, then can or freeze most of it.
I have two growing boys so groceries are an area there is no cutting back on. Plus we live on a lake and eat fish alot, only it’s fried so that doesn’t count…..heheheheh!
What I can’t live without is fresh fruit….. I buy bunches of it…..
Congrats on the 21 pounds….. Are you following WW, my dr. says that is the only healhty way to lose weight. Me I need to follow, it is encouraging to hear of your weight loss. Way to go, girl!
J Perry Stone on 28 Mar 2008 at 7:10 pm #
I have seven damn canvas bags–SEVEN!–and I still end up with one or two more plastic ones. T
My must haves are:
cilantro
tomatoes
Entenmann’s Doughnuts (the ones that look like they have rabbit pellets all over them)
Romaine
garlic
and
Organic milk (so my eight year old doesn’t start shaving at nine).
I am totally tortured into green living. I’m terrified of global warming, haunted by pesticides/antibiotics/hormones in our foods, and terrorized by the thought that styrofoam breaks down … AFTER ONE THOUSAND YEARS.
What happened to the carefree days of the 70’s when you could chuck your McDonald’s bag out the car window and never have a second thought (not that we did that)?
But some things greenlike are just common sense.
What I don’t get are the dopey dog walkers in the parks who clean up their doggy caca by putting it in a plastic bag. Hello? Heave it in the bushes. It’s biodegradable, for God’s sake, in about two days. Why store it in something
J Perry Stone on 28 Mar 2008 at 7:11 pm #
that won’t degrade for 100 years?
21 lbs is amazing, Julia. You deserve jewelry or a spa day as a reward.
Julia London on 28 Mar 2008 at 10:36 pm #
EmmieB, I LOOOOOVE skinny cow!
RachelG, high five on People. Me too. And on a good week, I round it out with US Weekly and Star.
margaret, the reason we can’t walk is because there aren’t sidewalks — so we’d be walking along a major ranch-to-market or highway to get to a restaurant of any kind! When we lived in the middle of town, we walked everywhere. But now I want to do it to save on gas and not pollute, and keep those thighs a manageable size.
Trisha, yes, its WW, and I am doing it online. My goal is 25 pounds. Tomorrow is a weigh-in day, so I am hoping i can report its 22 pounds gone! Its super easy to follow and I don’t feel deprived or hungry. I think its something I can do all my life.
JP Stone — I am working on that spa day ;-).
Margaret Garland on 29 Mar 2008 at 5:24 am #
Got it now, Julia. It’s not the restaurants. It’s the lack of sidewalks. I’m with you on that one. Before I lived in PA, I lived in Dallas. Every housing subdivision had sidewalks. Maybe they are required down there. They should be here. The subdivision we moved to had nary a one and it’s darned risky to let your kids play out front. There should be a law that developers must factor in sidewalks when they build.
Kate on 29 Mar 2008 at 6:55 am #
One of the great things I’ve found about living in MN is that they have grocery stores that sell bags for your groceries. I have a family of six with cat and dog. I bought the bags a few at a time until I had enough to cover my grocery consumption. I use about five to six bags a week. These are not canvas totes but are cloth and sit like a brown paper sack. Before I used these I asked for paper instead of plastic. I would also bring my paper sacks back to the store and have them fill those instead taking more home. This took me a while to figure out. Some stores don’t have the paper option so I still bring home some plastic but we use them to put the scooped litter from the cat.
I am proud of you for just thinking about what could you do differently.
Have a great weekend!
CallmeKelly on 29 Mar 2008 at 11:44 am #
Okay, I was reluctant to switch to canvas bags myself but when I saw them by the checkout for $1 a piece, so I loaded up on them and had the cashier put the groceries in them right then and there. I was completely surprised how much stuff fits in them and they are actually a lot easier to handle than the plastic bags because they do have long straps. You can throw some over your shoulder and then grab the rest. I don’t have a problem with mine getting dirty but yes, they can be washed. I wouldn’t go back to plastic even if it weren’t about the environment.
If you’re still not convinced, then please, please recycle your plastics people.
To answer your other question, my must have item is Coca Cola. Don’t worry I recycle the cans.
maria on 31 Mar 2008 at 1:58 pm #
Congrats on the weight loss!!!!! I lost 40lbs with the help of all the great books you all have been writing. I read instead of eating!!!
I always look at those “green” bags at the market and wonder how many I would need for all my groceries. I do my part in recycling, i’m pretty proud of that.
The must have item that I need would be smart ones cookie dough dessert. ( 3pnts).
Good luck
aussie dee on 05 Apr 2008 at 12:58 am #
I was told Snowballs have no calories as they are classed as entainment food, just as peppermint ice cream and broccoli are the same colour. we have enviro bags, they are not canvas, they are sort of nylony I suppose bit hard to describe, and we have 8 of these for an average shop.