How many reusable bags is too many?

[MissDollyMix]

(lighthearted) DH and I have had a major disagreement this morning as to how many carrier bags we should be keeping in the house. He’s got into my carrier bag drawer and started declaring that I don’t need all the bags I have. He reckons (and I personally think this is an over-exaggeration) that I must have 100 bags. I disagree. Anyway, there are different categories and hierarchies of bags. For example bags for the kids to put their muddy shoes in or carry their food tech items to school in. Or nice bags which aren’t gift bags but are nice if you’re dropping something off for a friend, or supermarket bags which I like to keep a few of in the car for emergencies or cotton tote bags which are good to use in lieu of a handbag or to fold up and keep in your handbag for shopping trips…. And so on and so forth. He thinks I’m being utterly unreasonable ! So come on mumsnet! Am I being unreasonable?!

I just have plastic and the boxier supermarket bags. I put any cotton totes straight into the charity bag. Smart gift bags/bottle bags are kept next to the tea towels in the tea towel cupboard.

I have a large shopper on the kitchen handle with folded bags in it; bags from little shops are put in there over the course of a couple of weeks. When DH is sick of seeing it, he moves it to the boot room. When the supply in the car boot is getting low, it goes on the kitchen handle. Three lots therefore rotate!

There should be fewer bags than there are, but every time dd buys something from a supermarket she buys a bag. I guess we have 40 to 50.

@margotsdevil

how is the new patio coming along??

I am on your DHs side. The point in a reusable bag is you reuse it.

how many times have you had to use all of them together?

@SummerSplashing how did you know I was getting some... unplanned renovations

I have loads, mainly because I forget to take them into the supermarket and end up buying more. I too must have over 100 😬 Am amazed at the number of bag folders! My MIL did this and I thought she was unhinged.

Does no-one else ram stacks of crumpled bags into one of the expensive square bottomed supermarket ones and chuck them in the boot?

Always recuse gift bags! Family has strict instructions NEVER to write on tags! 🤣🤣

The problem I find now with chargeable bags is that when I want to donate to the charity shops, i don’t have bags to give away. I used a shopper bag which was coming undone at the bottom which can’t be repaired well.

if I get a charity bag in my letter box, I keep those - turn them inside out and use those

Do you actually use all the bags on a regular basis?

If you don't, they are not "reusable" bags, but simply "bags taking up space in the drawer".

I gave hundreds too. I keep them in the car boot as there are too many for the house.

I see writing on the tag of a gift bag as the ultimate passive agressive micro aggression!

Team DH. 100 is insane. Even for all those different needs

My neighbour displays his scruffy old bags in his porch windows (lowers the tone I think)

I don't use the plastic ones, I use those Seasalt Jute bags which I buy in the sale, I have quite a few, some in each car and some at home, probably about 10 - 15 of them, they pack better than the bags for life and are better if I am on foot

My favourite ever bag was a green jute big square Waitrose one, which I had for years, they don't sell them now though unfortunately

I fell out with someone over this. They put the gift bag I'd just given them straight into recycling. Not liking the clutter I of course immediately retrieved the thing.

We have about 15 of the green plastic Waitrose kind and one or two stiff fabric supermarket bags. They live in the car. 100 is too many. I’m a bit selective about my bags for life and I get a bit twitchy if I’m given a free tote bag and start plotting how I’ll give it away.

Food banks are always super grateful for Bags for Life if you need somewhere to donate them to.

We live in a slightly grey haired Home Counties town and I’m forever impressed at the vintage Waitrose bags used by local shoppers. They seemed to have done a set of dark green bags that stand up by themselves in your trolley that were very popular at one point.

I actually very rarely use plastic bags for shopping. I've used cloth ones for years. Never had plastic bags when I was a child. Didn't use them then, don't need them now.

DM has those ones!

That's the one, they have cardboard in to give them the rigid shape, we still have our one and DH uses it for his muddy trainers as it went very tatty and bit holey from all the use. I wish I had bought more at the time

I read an article a while ago about cotton tote bags and the germs they carry. People use and reuse them for their shopping putting meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, etc in but never wash the bags between uses. I am sure MNetters aren't like that and probably wash all their reusable bags daily on the hottest machine setting possible after several hours soaking in bleach.

I once had a cotton tote bag which I had a bottle of Coke leak in there (didn’t put lid on securely) and washed it on 30c. It shrunk by a third. Obviously the cotton wasn’t pre washed. It was a bag from a charity

100 is a lot. I have about half that to cover a similar set of uses. Could you be ruthless and limit yourself to one drawer, then use the freed up drawer for something more fun?

@WoollyRosebud Did the article mention whether the germs subsequently harmed people, or whether they were a harmless part of the humdrum microbial fabric of everyday life?

There was mention of the dangers of 'juices' from uncooked meats such as chicken soaking into cotton bags. Also buying fruit and vegetable loose from markets and all the earth and other detritus attached to them. Having a plethora of cotton tote bags colour coded like chopping boards are would appear to be a solution.

I am another with bags within bags in my under the stairs cupboard. Some are 'For Best' and other for everyday. I have some of those lovely Waitrose bags and more than a few grey hairs too.