I’m a bagaholic-Part 2
In Part 1 of this series, I (Lynn) admitted my embarrassing addiction to shopping bags and explained my special affinity to bag systems. In this post, I’ll share one of my two favorite kits. (In Part 3, I’ll introduce you to the other, Esse.)
I fell in love with Blue Avocado (not the name, the system), the first time I saw the bags because I love primary colors and bold patterns. When I received a kit from the company, I was wowed by the practicality of this product. It felt like I’d reached shopping bag nirvana!
First of all the bags are really big! And they are sturdy. Any straps not part of the fabric itself, are well-attached. This is important since I’ve been known to catch straps not only on door knobs, but on grandkids’ arms, lawn decorations (don’t ask) and other assorted protuberances and it’s extremely annoying when a broken bag spills all my perfectly ripe organic produce all over the parking lot!
I especially love Blue Avocado’s “Chil” (not a typo) insulated bag, something I’ve not seen elsewhere. Before I send my beloved to the store, I give him a few ice packs and our frozen foods stay rock hard instead of melting all over the floor of the car. (The bag is supposed to insulate up to three hours, but we’ve never tested it for that long.)
An added plus–on the Blue Avocado site, they tell you how many bags (made from recycled materials, by the way), you save by using each kit. You can multiply that out by how much shopping you do over the course of a year and discover the incredible savings to you (and the planet when you’re not taking home plastic). And their gro-pak bags are labeled with a carbon footprint label that highlights the impact (both plastic bags and carbon emissions avoided) per trip and per year.
In summary, these are quality bags that look great and wear well.
One down side is that you may not personally be attracted to the colors and patterns (there are six or seven available options depending on which bag system you choose), or perhaps you don’t need such large bags.
Then there is the price.
Paying $80.00 for the largest kit (the Grande), may seem like overkill, but honestly, I think it’s worth it. When you realize that this system replaces 16 plastic bags each time you visit the grocery store, add up all the times you shop annually, and compute the waste in bags, it’s not a bad deal, especially because the bags are so large and this kit includes the insulated bag as well as super size produce bags.
They do of course, offer less expensive kits, but if you’re giving a greenie or wannabe greenie a gift, the Grande will outfit her completely and for a very long time.
Blue Avocado bags are made from at least 50% recycled material. Of course, we’d love them even more if that were bumped up to 100%, but we get the issues. They do take back the products when their useful life (to the buyer) ends, for recycling and use the least amount of packaging possible. As with many small companies, Blue Avocado may not be perfect, but in our opinion, they’ve made a very good start.
Note: The giveaway below is over. Using Random.org, the winner from those who commented below is “Leah.”
Now here’s an awesome bonus if you like the Blue Avocado system as much as I do: Blue Avocado and Celebrate Green! are giving away a starter kit…
plus one of Blue Avocado’s brand new lunch totes!
Total retail value-$49.98!
To enter, in the comment section below, let us know why you’re dying to win this awesome Blue Avocado combo. Be sure your email address is correct so we can notify you of the winner. We’ll choose the lucky duck using Random.org and will announce the winner on Tuesday, August 31.
U.S. residents only on this one.
Ok…I am officially in the bagaholic fan club and I am sharing this post with my list. I LOVE THIS LINE! Thanks so much for sharing…what wonderful designs and I love the fact that it’s for greenies and wannabe greenies (I’m a greenie tweenie, I think
). In any case, the thing I love the most is how compact the little carrier is because it can be such a hassle to wrestle all of your different sized bags into the store…love how the starter kit fits perfectly together in that little pack. Once again you’ve found a gem!
I would love to win this because I’m always at a loss of where to put all my reusable bags. I load them all up to get in the store, along with 1 or 3 of my daughters, and my purse. Ahh! I need them to fit IN my purse. Thanks for the giveaway!
mommieseatsoggycereal at gmail dot com
I love these bags so cute and functional! I am a shlepaholic and will use these with love when I am at the craft store, fabric store, grocery store, and more!
shoestrings and peace,
beth engelman
Love Blue Avocado bags and would use the lunch tote everyday – I use my reusable bags for countless tasks!
I have a fair number of bags, but none for chilled foods or for produce. These are lovely!
I would like to win this bag, these bags look cool.
I am a bagaholic too and have many boring, plain reusable bags that I use and they do the job, but always eye the pretty ones. I would love to win the starter set, especially the veg bag!
Having the bags transforms my green profile, and they are so convenient!
With these bags, I might actually get them in the store to use rather than keep them stored in the car!
Ever go out thinking you’re not going shopping? Then you see those special items you must have and, oops, forgot your reuseable bags at home. Well, these bags sound like the perfect solution. Easy to carry everywhere, for anything. And great to pack in your suitcase for vacations, too.
I have always been a “bag” lady – love to be prepared to schlep any useful thing from one site to another. Our daughter and her husband are soooo green, that it is trickling up. I am personally enthralled with the thought of the lunch tote. Plan ahead to eat well on the go. Perfect.
What a great website! I would love to win these bags – I take my lunch to work everyday in a very used reusable bag…it’s a bit shabby. It would be nice to have something stylish & durable. Though part of the attraction is the storable kit function, I would divvy out the bags to my co-workers and spread around the reusable revolution!
Such a beautiful system!
I love the messenger bag option! Such fun products.
I love how compact they are when folded and the color selection is beautiful!
This bag system looks amazing – I’m really excited about the veggie bag and the bright, fun colors. Thanks for the opportunity to win!