Frugal and Green Tip of the Day – Plastic Bags…the bane of my existence.

OK – now, I try to be as green as possible, but I will admit, that there are times when either I’ve forgotten my big tote bag, I’ve already filled it, or suddenly I am handed something in one of those dreaded plastic bags before I’ve had the chance to refuse.

It’s alright, you too, can admit to the large bag full of bags in your pantry or closet. Now, since we’ve turned over a completely green leaf, I have been much better about refusing these bags, but I still have a ton leftover from my previous life.

Here are a few things you can do with those bags, without putting them in a landfill.

1. Use them to stuff a valance. I thought this idea was genius! If you have one of those puffy valances, or are planning on getting one, just use the plastic bags to make it puffy.

2. If you buy bread – which I occasionally do – use the bag it came in to keep your own bread or muffins when you make some. If your bread came with a tag on the end – you can keep those as stitch savers on your next knitting project!

3. Use them as packing material instead of peanuts. Granted, this just passes the problem on to someone else, but if you’re sending them to someone who sends you packages once in a while (a grandparent, for example) just encourage them to send the same box and bags onto someone else, or back to you when the time comes.

4. Use them as gloves. This does doom them eventually to a death in the trash can, I’m afraid, but at least you’ve gotten several uses out of it. I’ve used plastic bags as gloves to pick up all kinds of gross things – from doggie doo to cleaning up, well, let’s just say, other messes.

5. Cloth diaper receptacles. These bags are perfect to keep in the car – or your diaper bag – and will hold a number of wet diapers in your bag until it’s time to head home.

What do you use plastic bags for? Please comment and tell us!