How I Trained Myself to BRING REUSABLE BAGS

I’ve always known how bad plastic bags are but never took the burden on personally. Times have changed and I’m ashamed to say that it’s taken #2020 to make me care. I’m taking plastic personally.

I love cooking and I love grocery shopping. I usually grocery shop ~2-3 times a week, sometimes more. I’ve been grocery shopping for myself for 6 years now. I never come home with just one bag and I never brought my own :( That simple math equation = too much plastic. I wish I could go back and change my habits years ago! But now I’m dedicated to making up for it in my own habits, and to hopefully influence your habits!!!

I had to TRAIN MYSELF into remembering to bring my own bags and it was brutal.

HERE IS MY RIGOROUS TRAINING PROGRAM:

If you forget your bags:

1. You have to CARRY EVERYTHING out of the store IN YOUR ARMS (or in the cart if its too much to carry but BAG-LESS).

2. You must refuse the plastic bags offered ("Are you sure? That is a lot to carry"... "Yes I'm sure, I'll carry it! No bag, thanks") and HUMILIATE yourself and potentially hurt yourself to get everything out of the store.

It sucks. But it works!

Any time I could remember, I'd snap a picture and share it on my Instagram stories to hold myself accountable.

Here are pictures of me leaving TJ MAXX, after I forgot my bags at home.

These clips were originally shared on my Instagram stories as I left grocery stores with arms full of groceries.

There were multiple occasions that I had to make 2 trips to get all my groceries, or simply load all the groceries back into the cart and bring it out to my car that way.

To be honest, the most humiliating trips I made were not caught on camera because I didn't have the capacity to hold my phone + what I was holding. I wonder what passerby's must have thought...

It took me about 3 weeks to train myself to the point where I now REMEMBER MY BAGS!!! I have a stash in my kitchen, and always try to keep one in my car in case I forget to grab from my kitchen stash... it's already happened, ha!

Overall, the process has been hilarious but also rewarding. I'm proud of myself for successfully changing a habit, and pleased that I've cause enough of a scene to influence others. I receive pictures from people I know carrying an arm-full of groceries saying I've inspired them to train themselves, and texts from friends letting me know they remembered to grab their reusable bags because my embarrassment was enough to make them not forget.

I encourage you to give it a try, and let me know if you do!