String and Cotton Shopping bags

rach

i've got a few from different supermarkets. the sainsburys orange ones are particularly good as they fold up (i think they're called fold-a-shoppers) and fit into your bag. only 75p. they hold loads too. i also picked up a couple of cotton ones free at conferences, keep your eyes open!

htjo

Hi,

I'm a regular lurker and try to be ethical, green and grow my own veg!! But I'm in need of some help....

Wondered if anyone could help. I'm going to use Christmas to try and convert some of my family to the Fairtrade/ethical stance and make up a hamper with variuos fairtrade products that I know that they'll use (tea, coffee, sugar, coco, choc, wine....anyother suggestions?). But the thing that really annoys me is the amount of carrier bags that the family use. So I am trying to find either some jute shopping bags or some sort of bag that packs up small (like the onya bag), but really looking at spending no more than £5 per bag, does anyone have any suggestions?

htjo

Hapless_2

yup http://www.thegoodbagco.com/
I sent friends some of these last year.

Savvy_Sue

I have several such bags, and on the 'pack small' front I suggest looking anywhere that sells suitcases etc. We have an independent shop in Bristol which has them in a range of colours (including my personal favourite of pink, of course!) for £5. They pack down into a little pouch. Also worth looking in any markets you go to.

But I also have a few lightweight cotton bags which were either given away or extremely cheap as promotional items at exhibitions and events. So keep your eyes peeled there.

On the 'making up hampers' front however, you could try packing your goodies into a bag, and for that I have a stylish black Asda bag which was less then £2, and one from Aldi which was £1, IIRC. These both stay open but fold flat.

It would, IMO, be worth thinking about your family's likely use of such bags. If they often go shopping without a car or on impulse, then the 'folding small enough to put in your pocket' is probably best. If they never stir without a car then the folding flat may suit them better, and are probably easier to get hold of. I would never be bothered to take that kind out with me.

Of course, there's also the Pigsback bag - if you're not a Pigsback afficionado please let me enlighten and refer you! That would be free for a small amount of time spent clicking on webpages!

viticella

Oh, I did this last Christmas! It's a lovely Idea IMO. I went right OTT, martha stewart style. I got 3 old green mens shirts (diff.patterns) from charity shops and cut them up to sew into bags on my sewing machine in a sort of trendy hotchpotch of patterns. (so the bag was already recycled and "green") then put tea, biscuits, etc in them for a present for our nearest and dearest. think I included some homemade jam too. Sorry if all this home-madey stuff is nauseating anyone!

My current fave bag is from the Co-op, it is calico and folds up like a hanky, but is actually quite a big shopping bag (like those extra strong carriers) And is fairtrade, cost about a £1 I think. Really the good old Co-op are very right on.

BTW DH didn't think they were proper christmas presents and insisted we buy books/CD's too!!!

grumpysincebirth

Mumzmall a shop called Incensed. lemme find the link and before you ask no I am not the owner and I don't have a vested interest in the shop. I have been however and still am a satisfied customer.

http://www.incensed.me.uk/ HTH.

madmoys

Hapless wrote: »

yup http://www.thegoodbagco.com/
I sent friends some of these last year.

Thanks for this site, Love the Christmas is good bags:santa2:

They will make great reusable gift bags

AmyGroovy3

once we've used our cloth bags, we put them by the front door so you remember to put them back into the car for when you nip tot the shops

specialangel

Don't know if you saw any of the Tycoon series earlier this year, it was pretty awful and I think ITV scrapped it as it was a big flop, but there was a guy on there who had invented a kind of carrier bag recycling thing that you attached to your trolley. I can't remember what he called it, but I'm sure he got an order from one of the big supermarkets for it. I guess you may find his details on the ITV website.

Racklen

ive been buying ends of rolls of fabric from my local fabric shop at £2 p £3 max and maling basic tote bags for people xmas pressies for this year and im new to sewing on a machine but there are really basic free patterns on line if you search. and they are farily easy to sew

i love making things though