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 actually prefer the cotton or nylon ones because they can go in the washing machine. The jute ones can't even be wiped easily and the plastic ones take ages to individually spray and wipe so I try to just use the fabric ones and any other kinds DH brings home are gradually given away.

I don't wash them after every use though, but they also don't get very dirty on the inside (we don't buy meat or fish as we're veggie, and I have smaller produce bags for the odd bit of loose veg since most of it is packaged these days anyway). I mostly feel like the outside gets germy if they have to be put down on the ground at any point, which I don't then want going into my kitchen or touching other things in my handbag.

Max of 15. X

we definitely have too many bags for life, but the great thing is they fold nicely inside just one bag for life, though I can’t seem to stop them gradually multiplying, though they have bag offspring a lot less than those unneutured plastic bags we had years ago. We had a tall kitchen cupboard growing up, it was filled to the brim with plastic bags, lots stuffed inside just one, creating plastic boulders that would all tumble out whenever you opened the door. As you bent down to pick them all up, more would tumble on your head, you would stuff them back in, creating a sort of wall of these wedged balls, then several loose bags would make a break for it, dancing out around your feet, all would be stuffed back in as you tried to close the door with your arse and one arm in the cupboard holding them back, whichever one of us was trying to sort this out would use some pretty foul language, never sorted the bloody cupboard out though.

So bags for life store neatly, it’s my Tupperware cupboard that causes the issues now, I fling them in straight out of the dishwasher, the lid and box go their separate ways and every time I go looking for Tupperware I swear I’m gonna sort it out soon as I throw it about looking for a matching box and lid, which all fall out around my feet!

@cookiebee That is the single best description of the eternal struggle that I have ever read. Bravo.

😂😂😂😂 I did assume I would not be the only one to recognise this scenario

Well if you are - so am I 😂

My ds gets the look if he dares to even think about questioning my reasoning on needing a bag for every eventuality.

My kallax unit draw of bags is a thing of beauty.

@margotsdevil

simply because it's THE only option!

😂😂

I don’t like bags for life, they are sort of stiff and crumpled at the same time. Plus I don’t want to go around advertising where I may have shopped in the past. The only exception to this principle is my National Gallery exhibition plastic bags from Monet, Titian and something with jewels ( worn down beyond recognition), because they are/ were beautiful.

But our household came early to bring your own bag, because we lived in France and they didn’t give out carrier bags by ( I think) 2008. They did sell bags at the till, but they were all printed with touristy scenes and were regarded with contempt by the till girls , so we had to go native and source proper reusable bags. We have three large cool bags, three or four plastic woven vegetable bags which are huge, and I had a happy weekend making a LOT from shower curtains ( tropical leaves and Spanish tiles) . We also have some fabric ones made from curtain remnants which are nice because they remind me of the houses the curtains hung in.

They all live in the car, or on standby in the garage. If it was up to DH he would probably attempt to put the shopping under his arm, I do not think men really get bags…..

@SummerSplashing I have found my people!

Despite the naysayers (you know who you are Team DH 😒) I love that this thread has brought my fellow bag aficionados….see DH, it’s not just me!! 😘

I have about three or four big bags (bigger than bag for life, and mostly made of canvas). These are enough for a weekly shop and double up for other uses as needed (DD carrying supplies for school for example). Then about a dozen or so plastic bags from Ocado deliveries. These are good for lining the bathroom bins, ad hoc shoes bags, good to shove in suitcase for dirty laundry and even as a doggie poo bag in a pinch!
I don't have room for anymore and I don't need any more.