Tip Tuesday – Make an Embellished Grocery Bag Container

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Plastic bags are not a very environmentally friendly way to transport groceries or anything else. However many of the reusable bags I get, it seems like I either leave them at the house, in the car, or have given them away, full of something for a friend. So no matter how many reusable bags I get, I still seem to accumulate a ton of the plastic disposable bags. They have their uses – when you can find one that isn’t crumpled beyond recognition and doesn’t have any holes.

My personal pet peeve is that there isn’t a good home for them – that is until I saw this pin. Jen from Tater Tots & Jello shows how to roll the bags so they pop out of a wipes container one at a time, and the container holds about a dozen bags.

Perfect! I had to test this.

I pulled out the pile-o-bags and started to flatten and fold them as Jen instructs.

Make sure to get the air out as you flatten them.

Fold the flattened bags in half the long way. Make sure you have a dozen bags for a standard wipe container.

Overlap the bags slightly.

Fold the handle of the first bag up at a right angle to the rest of the bags.

Start rolling the bags pretty tightly and evenly starting with the end that has the handle pointing up. This will be the part that sticks out of the wipes container.

Drop the roll into the bag.

Put the top on, making sure to pull the first handle out. And there you have it – organized grocery bags! This is perfect for the car, boat, camper, office desk drawer… the possibilities are endless. And just think of all the money you could save on Christmas gifts!

Jen’s blog gave further instructions for making the container pretty, but I didn’t have all of the materials for that step. I’m more of a cook than a crafter. However, I think I’ll look for some contact paper in a color scheme and design to match the container. I can handle that.

Now for the results.

Overall Score: 5 Pins

Accuracy:  The instructions in the blog were precise and easy to follow. The container held exactly 12 bags without having to roll them up overly tightly. They pop out perfectly, too. 5 Pins

Difficulty:  This was a simple idea that was simply perfect. Flatten, fold, roll, done. 5 pins

Time:  The entire project took abut 10 minutes. That includes the time removing the label from the container. 5 Pins

Cost:  FREE! It doesn’t get any cheaper than used grocery bags and a used, empty wipe container. 5 Pins

Practicality:  This is  EXTREMELY practical! The organizing of plastic bags is great, but don’t forget the added value of having these organized bags conveniently where you want/need them. 5 Pins