Plastic Shopping Bags Uses and Storage

I know many of you have already started using those wonderful reusable "green bags" when you go shopping.  But, if you are like me, sometimes I get to the store and realize I forgot them.  Or, you are just running in for a couple items and you forget them in the car or don't want to bother for such a small order.  You opt for plastic over paper and now you have some of those plastic shopping bags.  Most would maybe reuse it in it's original form to carry things once or twice, recycle it, or toss it, but I have found some great additional uses for these bags that save me money.  I also found a great way to store them so they don't take up too much room either.

1. Free trash liners for your bathroom trash cans.
2. If you have cats, they are perfect little trash bags for scooping the litter clumps.
3. If you are already recycling or composting, you probably don't have half as much kitchen trash as you used to.  Why do you still need the industrial size trash can in your kitchen?  Downsize to a 3 gallon/11 liter waste basket, roughly the size you might use under a desk.  The plastic bags fit perfectly so you don't need to purchase kitchen trash bags anymore, either. Just make sure the bag doesn't have a hole in the bottom or you might end up with a mess if you put wet stuff in the trash.  Mine fits perfectly under my sink, so its out of sight and the pets can't get into it.  With these smaller size trash cans, you might even have room under your sink for a separate trash and recycle waste basket.  This will make it more convenient to recycle, so you will be more likely to do it.  With a smaller trash container, obviously, it will fill up a little quicker than a big one, but you will be able to keep smells to a minimum inside your home since you will be taking the trash out more frequently.



Upcycled plastic baskets by bagsagain.etsy.com

4. This one might be a stretch for some of you to make yourself, but I have actually seen people cut these into long strips like yarn and knit, crochet, or weave them into rugs, beach bags, purses, place mats, baskets, accessories, and other amazing creations.  Check out some some of these very affordable items others have made out of plastic shopping bags that are for sale on etsy.com  They will blow your mind!!  Some Etsy sellers even sell patterns for those of you who might want to try to make some of these, and "yarn" that is already pre-made for these creations, if you don't want to take the time to cut it up yourself.

Now that I have you thinking a little differently about these plastic shopping bags, here's my trick to making them compact for easy storage.  

1. Stick a couple fingers of your right hand through the handles of the bag.  Keep your fingers in these holes the whole time until right at the end at step #4.
2. Using your left hand, starting near the handles, smooth and pull the bag into a long plastic strip.
3. Grasp the "bottom" of the bag with your left hand and with a twisting wrist action, roll the bottom of the bag up around two fingers on your left hand all the way up to the handles creating a little "ball" around your left hand fingers and twisting the bag around your right fingers creating a small "loop"
4. Flip the "loop" from the handles around your right hand fingers over the "ball" wrapped around your left hand fingers.  This will keep this tight little ball secured and compact for easy storage.  
5. A small box, basket, or drawer will hold a ton of them in this compact form until you are ready to use them.  Simply unhook the loop, unwind, and they are ready to use again.

All those packing peanuts when you order online

More and more of us are avoiding the crowds during the holiday shopping madness and opting to visit online retailers instead.  When you are looking for that hard to find item, and especially with the free shipping deals, that it the ticket!!  Unfortunately, for many, there is a little problem that results....

Your order arrives safe and sound, but now you have oodles and oodles of packing peanuts to deal with.  They make a mess and seem to float little pieces everywhere.  Many municipal recycling programs don't accept them or other forms of Styrofoam.   You hate to just put them in the trash to fill up the landfill.   Here are some options that you may or may not have thought of:

1. The most obvious - reuse them yourself if you need to ship anything.  That's a no-brainer.
2. There is actually a network of companies called The Plastic Loose Fill Council (PLFC), many members are pack-and-ship type stores, that will accept your clean Styrofoam packing peanuts at their "Recycling Centers."  By accepting your donations of packing peanuts, these companies can lower their overhead costs by not having to purchase as many new packing peanuts to ship their orders or mail customer packages for them.  It helps these companies out, you have a place to bring your peanuts, and it helps save the planet a little at a time by keeping those peanuts out of the landfills.  A win-win!! There is more information on this network and their members at www.loosefillpackaging.com.  You can find a local member participating in this program by calling toll-free 1-800-828-2214 or going to their website.  Simply enter your zip code and you will be provided with a list of local Recycling Centers.  The annual membership fee for businesses to become members is currently only $30 per year.  This is literally peanuts, pun intended, considering the cost of packing peanuts and the fact that as part of their membership fee, PLFC provides its members with literature, signage, and media information to help them spread the word about providing this service to their area.  This good press in the media for their business will also likely increase traffic to their business, likely increasing their sales.  Another win-win!!
3. If there are no members of PLFC in your local area, try seeking out a local business you think might benefit from your packing peanuts donation.  Maybe tell them about PLFC, if they hadn't heard about it already?  If they are big enough to use a large quantity of packing peanuts in their daily operations, they might just join.  You can help your local area by adding another resource for your friends and neighbors to drop off their packing peanuts, the business can save money, plus you can feel good about making a big step to help reduce the packing peanut impact on your local environment.
4. There are also many free online resources to offer your packing peanuts to others, so someone else who might need them can link up with someone who has them, but doesn't want them.  Checkout websites like www.freecycle.org or even www.craigslist.org   You can simply leave them outside for the individual to pick up.  Safety first!
5. There are more and more people selling stuff online out of their homes, on sites such as www.Ebay.com and www.Etsy.com, to help make ends meet in this tough economy. They would LOVE your packing peanuts.  Maybe someone you know or a neighbor already does this.  Ask around.  You will likely be surprised at how many places would gladly accept your packing peanuts.

Next time you have packing peanuts you don't need or want, don't trash them.  Be proactive and find a way to reuse them or find someone else who can.

Encouragement of Friends to Get Started

For years numerous friends, family members, co-workers, and acquaintances have urged me to write a book, start a web page, or somehow find a way to share all my little tips and tricks that have been gathering in my brain for many years now.  I have to laugh when my friends introduce me to others as, "This is Lisa, the one I was telling you about that knows everything."  I don't claim to know everything, by any means.  Not even close.  But, I do seem to have a knack for remembering various helpful bits of information on a wide variety of subjects and find innovative ways to incorporate them into everyday life to save money, work smarter rather than harder, finding healthier options, and figuring out easy practical solutions to many of life's annoying problems. I am quite the DIYer (Do It Yourselfer) on many levels.  If I find something interesting, I want to find out about it or how to do it myself.  If I find something annoying, I try to find a solution.  Many times it turns out to be a money saver and quite a simple fix.  I believe knowledge is power.  Especially now with the availability of so many free resources on the internet and many other places, there is no excuse not to enlighten yourself.

I also have some strong opinions on healthy living, the many wrongs in the healthcare system, and sometimes what many may consider alternative solutions to health problems.  I am not a doctor, nurse, or anything like that.  Just a regular mom who has found many solutions to her own health problems and those of friends and family.  I will share many of my findings as part of this blog, but for legal reasons, I can't make any official medical claims.  These are just some things I have found worked for me or people I know.  If you choose to try them yourself, I claim no liability for your individual results.  Many of these things I will share I have learned from a variety of sources you may also be familiar with such as Dr. Memet Oz, Dr. Andrew Weil, Dr. Joseph Mercola, and many other experts I have seen on well know shows such as Oprah.  Some are things I have stumbled upon in my research of various subjects of alternative health from all over the world.  As you can see, most of these things didn't just come to me in a dream or something, many are based on time tested practices, but may not be common knowledge.  Especially here in the U.S., where it seems many people believe if it doesn't come in pill form or has been advertised extensively on television, how can it really work?  I have also found that many doctors are not very familiar with some of these solutions, either.  Either that, or they will not make claims on them one way or another since they live constantly with the fear of a malpractice suit, since it may not be officially endorsed by the American Medical Association or the FDA.  It seems many alternative health practices and nutritional facts are not taught extensively or not at all in medical school here in the U.S., so many doctors may be unfamiliar with them.  Again, it doesn't mean that it doesn't work.  Many of these practices have been in existences in other countries for hundreds, maybe even thousands of years in other countries.  Why would people still be using them if they didn't work?  Many times getting back to the basics is far better than running a battery of expensive tests and ultimately taking a handful of expensive pharmaceutical drugs with a list of ugly side-effects that one may wonder if they are truly worth taking in the first place.

I hope you find my random ramblings interesting, informative, and maybe even find a suggestion or two you plan to incorporate into your everyday life.  Thanks for reading and I hope you share what you have learned with someone else to help improve their life, too.  I am always open to learning more.  If you get inspired by my posts or have some additional ideas you would like to share, please post your comments for others to see.  I'd love to hear from you!

Lisa