# Do you hoard bags? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 7, 2009, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-hoard-bags/492319 "2009-04-07T23:11:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-hoard-bags/492319/1 "2009-04-07T23:11:02Z")
My wife is a Bag Hoarder. Meaning she has anywhere from 5-10 “eco-bags” from every supermarket within a 10 mile radius. She also has a stash of plastic bags stuffed in a pringles container “for the cats” and countless rows of folded paper bags “just in case”. It verges on pathologic behavior but I have a feeling we are not alone. Does anyone else hoard bags? ---
**Author:** ![Spacegirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47774/32.png) [@Spacegirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spacegirl)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-hoard-bags/492319/2 "2009-04-07T23:37:35Z")
I do save bags to use as trash liners, but when the stash gets too big, I throw some away. I used to hoard them, but when I had a whole cabinet full of plastic bags, I realized that maybe I didn’t need that many. Think about it this way: Your wife is saving the earth with her reusing of bags! You should give her your utmost admiration! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-hoard-bags/492319/3 "2009-04-07T23:44:03Z")
I fill a whole Trader Joe’s bag with eco-bags every time we do the big shopping run. The plastic bags for the litterbox scoopings are in a plastic coffee can, and the ones for lining wastebaskets are stuffed between the refrigerator and the wall. The paper bags (mostly from TJ’s ) are in their own slot to use for newspaper recycling and general toting of things. Then there is a special drawer for recycled gift bags and fancy store bags. Your wife is normal and healthy. Wait…5-10 eco-bags total, or 5-10 from each store? Either way, I admire her if she remembers to take them to the store, AND to bring them into the store from the car…I always forget. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-hoard-bags/492319/4 "2009-04-07T23:47:16Z")
I pretty much keep all the ones I get from stores but use them alternately to bring my lunch to work and for scooping the litter box. ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-hoard-bags/492319/5 "2009-04-07T23:51:19Z")
> [@kittenblue](#): > > I fill a whole Trader Joe’s bag with eco-bags every time we do the big shopping run. The plastic bags for the litterbox scoopings are in a plastic coffee can, and the ones for lining wastebaskets are stuffed between the refrigerator and the wall. The paper bags (mostly from TJ’s ) are in their own slot to use for newspaper recycling and general toting of things. Then there is a special drawer for recycled gift bags and fancy store bags. > > Your wife is normal and healthy. > > Wait…5-10 eco-bags total, or 5-10 from each store? Either way, I admire her if she remembers to take them to the store, AND to bring them into the store from the car…I always forget. Jackie is that you? hahaha Right down to forgetting the bags in the car. lol Seriously, thanks I’m happy we’re normal, and green! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-hoard-bags/492319/6 "2009-04-07T23:51:39Z")
We save almost every bag that comes into the house (except the thin produce bags) for reuse. No one in this area offers paper bags anymore, but the small plastic bags are used for waste-baskets and the larger thicker ones are left in the car to be reused at the store that charges for bags. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2009, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-hoard-bags/492319/7 "2009-04-08T00:13:24Z")
I have canvas bags I take to the store. The bags for the newspapers are used for kitty tootsie rolls. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2009, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-hoard-bags/492319/8 "2009-04-08T00:58:11Z")
We have the heavy grocery shopping bags. Some are just tote bags, but others are zippered, and some have zippers AND they’re insulated. We especially love the insulated ones because it gets HOT here, and we don’t really like ice cream that has partially melted on the way home. I have a couple of bookstore bags, too. I use one to gather books that I want to sell back to the bookstore, and my husband uses the others to gather up stuff that I’ve left in the living room, and he puts them in my day room. This is his subtle way of telling me that he thinks I am Cluttering again. I save the plastic bags. I keep one or two in my purse, in case I’m out shopping and want to buy something. I keep the rest in the house, and re-use them. Usually they get used two or three times, and when they’re full of holes, I take them around the house for general tidying. Sometimes I use the plastic bags just once after their initial use, which is to contain catbox scoops. I want to be sure that the bags don’t have holes in them, and after that one use, I don’t want to re-use them. Any paper bags that come into the house are promptly claimed by one or more cats, who think that paper bags are The Best Toy Ever. Milk jug rings are a close second. Cardboard boxes, by the way, are not toys, they’re Lairs. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2009, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-hoard-bags/492319/9 "2009-04-08T01:20:40Z")
I already had a few canvas bags to use for shopping, so I never had to buy any from the stores (although I should probably pick up an insulated one for frozen foods in the summer. I have a stash of plastic bags that are used for trash bag liners and litter box cleaning; I occasionally get a few to replenish these because the baggers at Kroger start bagging my groceries before I can hand them the canvas bag, and sometimes I impulse shop and don’t have a bag with me. Paper bags are used for the contents of my shredder, as requested by the county recycling pickup. ---
**Author:** ![Varrius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e9a140/32.png) [@Varrius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Varrius)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2009, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-hoard-bags/492319/10 "2009-04-08T01:27:31Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Any paper bags that come into the house are promptly claimed by one or more cats, who think that paper bags are The Best Toy Ever. Milk jug rings are a close second. Cardboard boxes, by the way, are not toys, they’re Lairs. Made me laugh Lynn. We have four cats in the house right now and you just described the exact behavior, especially the milk jug rings. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2009, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-hoard-bags/492319/11 "2009-04-08T01:45:28Z")
And crumpled up reciepts - to the point where both our siamese go bonkers when we even mention receipt! 🙂 As a matter of fact I picked up one of our couches the other day and found several milk jug rings and a couple receipts! ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2009, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-hoard-bags/492319/12 "2009-04-08T03:03:00Z")
> [@](#): > > although I should probably pick up an insulated one for frozen foods in the summer. Yes, yes you should. You don’t have to worry about your milk going off if you encounter a traffic jam on the way home. You can stop and fill up the tank on the way home. And, as I mentioned, the ice cream doesn’t melt in the time it takes to get it from the grocery store’s freezer and your freezer. We have two or three insulated bags, and they are wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2009, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-hoard-bags/492319/13 "2009-04-08T03:23:30Z")
My, how timely! Yep, we have Whole Paycheck bags, and local Weaver St. Co-op bags, and Trader Joes bags, and Harris Teeter bags, and, sadly stupidly, they often get left in the damn car. Today, I bought a Piggly Wiggly insulated bag, with a mission to use that politically incorrect one at all the other stores. I’m Stickin’ With the Pig! ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2009, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-hoard-bags/492319/14 "2009-04-08T03:45:17Z")
At one store, I believe it’s Albertson’s, they will refund a nickel a bag to customers who bring in their own bags. Even if the bags are disposable ones from the last trip, customers get their nickels. I think that this will become more common, and then stores will start charging for disposable bags. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2009, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-hoard-bags/492319/15 "2009-04-08T04:16:09Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Yes, yes you should. You don’t have to worry about your milk going off if you encounter a traffic jam on the way home. You can stop and fill up the tank on the way home. And, as I mentioned, the ice cream doesn’t melt in the time it takes to get it from the grocery store’s freezer and your freezer. We have two or three insulated bags, and they are wonderful. Actually, since I don’t drive and it can get pretty hot here in the summer having an insulated bag might be even more important. BTW, a friend of mine keeps an insulated cooler in the back of his car all the time, and anything he buys that needs to be kept cold goes in there. > [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > At one store, I believe it’s Albertson’s, they will refund a nickel a bag to customers who bring in their own bags. Even if the bags are disposable ones from the last trip, customers get their nickels. I think that this will become more common, and then stores will start charging for disposable bags. Trader Joes is currently having some sort of prize drawing (I forget the details) and to be eligible you have to bring your own bags. I was given a ticket for the drawing when I stopped off there to pick up a sandwich to go after picking up a prescription at the nearby Rite-Aid and I said I can just put it in the bag from there. The clerk mentioned that if I had just said I could carry the sandwich I’d have gotten a ticket. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2009, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-hoard-bags/492319/16 "2009-04-08T06:51:40Z")
My husband was in the Air Force, and his last duty station was in Las Vegas. Many retirees lived around that area and shopped in the commissary. They usually had styrofoam coolers to put their cold stuff in. If they’d had insulated bags back then, I’m sure some of them would have used those bags. The advantage of bags over cooler is that you can take the bags right into your house and only one bag gets opened and unloaded at a time. However, if your friend finds a cooler suits his needs better, then I certainly wouldn’t say he’s wrong. If you have to spend any time at all in transit from the store to your home, then insulated bags are great. Our average time to and from the grocery store is about 10 minutes, but if we miscalculate the rush hour, or there’s a train, or a wreck, then it can easily stretch to over half an hour. The insulated bags are not cheap, but I think they’re worth it. I really hate throwing out food that I’ve just bought because I think it might be spoiled. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2009, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-hoard-bags/492319/17 "2009-04-08T12:18:53Z")
> [@LurkMeister](#): > > Trader Joes is currently having some sort of prize drawing (I forget the details) and to be eligible you have to bring your own bags. I was given a ticket for the drawing when I stopped off there to pick up a sandwich to go after picking up a prescription at the nearby Rite-Aid and I said I can just put it in the bag from there. The clerk mentioned that if I had just said I could carry the sandwich I’d have gotten a ticket. I’ve been entering that stupid drawing every time I go there for the last two years and I’ve yet to win! May I just say that in the realm of plastic bags to be reused for wastebaskets and cat litter scooping, Target bags are the best. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2009, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-hoard-bags/492319/18 "2009-04-08T12:51:33Z")
“A shitload” doesn’t even begin to cover it. We have a gajillion plastic bags for cat poo, but if I didn’t bring another bag into the house, I bet I could go a full year with what I have right now. We have eco bags, but frequently forget to bring them to the store!!! I was off-loading plastic bags for my ex-MIL’s daily care, but she died so I’m trying to think of ways to get rid of them. One use is to cut them into strips to pad mailing envelopes. I don’t have much call for that, though. ---
**Author:** ![Shecky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@Shecky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shecky)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2009, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-hoard-bags/492319/19 "2009-04-08T15:06:55Z")
We hoarde. Wife’s a professional pet sitter, so we use em for dog walking poop and garbage. I never have more than 20 in the house at any given time, though. ---
**Author:** ![Wallflower](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Wallflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallflower)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2009, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-hoard-bags/492319/20 "2009-04-08T15:13:51Z")
If you have too many plastic bags, you could always [make a tote](http://www.wikihow.com/Prepare-Plastic-Bags-for-Knitting-or-Crochet) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-hoard-bags/492319.md?page=2)