Shop Green on Black Friday

I don't have to take any pledges to stay home from shopping Thanksgiving evening. Or even on Black Friday. Because I dislike shopping and dislike crowds, so there you go. No Black Friday shopping for me.

Except online. Black Friday is a great time to purchase some of those green products that have been sitting on your wish list for a while.

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Eco-Ditty Organic Cotton Sandwich Bags

As Eco-novice readers know, I love reusable bags! I'm happy to say that I haven't purchased a box of disposable plastic baggies in several years. I have reusable bags in many different shapes and sizes and made with many different materials.

Recently we have been test driving Eco-ditty's reusable sandwich and snack bags. Eco-ditty food bags are

• Made in Colorado
• Made with 100% organic cotton fabrics (GOTS certified and fair trade)
• Available in a variety of attractive and stylish fabrics
• Have an undyed organic cotton liner -- no synthetics, plastics or chemicals touching your food
• Printed with low-impact inks and dyes
• Hook and loop closure
• Washable by hand, machine or dishwasher (line dry is recommended -- although I accidentally dried mine in the dryer and they are still fine)

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Eco-novice's Favorite Eco-friendly Lunch Gear

My children aren't yet school-aged, but we pack food nearly every day to eat at the park or on other outings, and my husband often packs a lunch.  We've sampled quite a lot of reusable food gear in the last year.  Here is a rundown of our favorites.  All recommended products have enjoyed heavy use by my family for 6 months or more!

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Celeste Blake Designs Gallon-size Reusable Bag Giveaway & Review

Reusable gallon-size bag from Celeste Blake Designs,
$13.95 (incl. shipping)

About 7 months ago, I ran out of quart-size and sandwich-size bag disposable plastic bags simultaneously. As I pulled the last one or two baggies out of the box, I resolved to stop buying disposable baggies and find reusable alternatives to replace them. Since then, I have tried and reviewed numerous reusable food bags, and I am proud to say that I have not purchased any more disposable plastic bags since then.

But. . . I am still using disposable gallon-size bags. Until recently, I didn’t know of a suitable reusable alternative.

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Creating a Zero-Waste Lunch via Kids Konserve

This post is by my friend Megan.  Megan writes about reading and writing books for kids and teens on her blog megwrites.  I love her recent posts about finding time to write and read, as well as this recent post on building your child's library on a budget (which could also have been titled: how to build an eco-friendly child's library).  She also posts original short stories and book recommendations.  She will one day be a famous YA author, so be sure and check out her blog so you can say you knew her way back before she was published.

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Your Etsy Reusable Bag Buying Guide

If you are a real cheapskate like me, you may have waited to see if you won the Etsy Reusable Sandwich Bags Giveaway before buying anything.  Well, now that you know that you did not win, you can go ahead and make your purchase.  I have made a spreadsheet (yes, a spreadsheet!) comparing the reusable bags/ wraps offered by the 12 Etsy Stores selected for my Etsy Reusable Sandwich Bags Giveaway and Review.

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Reusable Food Bags - Variety Is Best

I've been test-driving a variety of reusable food baggies for a few months now.  Which is my favorite?  I personally have found it useful to own a variety of food bags.  Different designs have different advantages.  Horizontal Velcro is more secure but more difficult for little (and big) fingers to open.  Plastic-free bags keep your food away from plastic, but synthetically-lined bags keep food fresher (especially in the fridge or freezer) and use less water/energy/time to clean.  Sometimes you want a bag, and other times a wrap that turns into a placement is best.  You might want a kid-friendly fabric as a gift for your nephew but a vintage fabric for your stylish co-worker.  All of the products I reviewed are well-designed and expertly crafted.  I would be proud to own or give any as a gift.

What features are you looking for in a reusable food bag?

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Etsy Reusable Sandwich Bags Giveaway and Review (12 Stores, 6 Winners)

After reading this post, you will never have to buy Ziploc bags again. 

Since I gave up disposable baggies, I have reviewed a few commercially- made reusable food bags and wraps.  But as a devoted Etsy fan, I decided I also should feature some Etsy products.  Go on Etsy’s website and search for sandwich or snack bags and you quickly discover that there are A LOT of Etsy stores selling reusable food bags.   All those sellers, all those materials and fabrics, all those designs and prices – it can be overwhelming! 

Lucky for you, I have spent hours browsing these stores and now present to you some of my favorites.  I have personally tested bags from each of the stores (each store sent me at least one bag free for review).  These stores were selected for their competitive prices, awesome features, and lovely fabrics.  I also deliberately included stores that would demonstrate the variety of designs available.  If you don't have an Etsy account, you might want to make one now, so you can add some or all of the stores below to your "favorites."

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Lunchskins Sandwich and Snack Bags

LunchSkins snack bag  ($7.85) - sleek and stylish

When I opened the package of LunchSkins bags, I was first struck by how darn cute they were (even though I'd seen the designs online)!  Now, I'm normally a function-over-form kind of person, but these really are lovely baggies.  My husband preferred them to other reusable bags we've tried because they took up very little space in his lunch bag since the fabric is so slim.  I love the small sizes (about the same size as a regular sandwich baggie and snack baggie).  I think anyone, even a non-greenie, would appreciate receiving these well-designed reusable food bags as a gift.  And they are perfect for kids' lunch boxes.

I have used the LunchSkins with cheese, fruit, veggies, sandwiches and cookies in the freezer.  It performed wonderfully with all of them.  The horizontal Velcro is strong and keeps the contents securely inside.  Although the horizontal Velcro means these bags aren't adjustable on their own, you can adjust the size of the LunchSkins bags (or any reusable food baggie) with a rubber band.  I do this for cheese mostly.

LunchSkins sandwich bag  costs $8.95 and measures 6.5" x  6.5"

 Here are 10 things you should know about LunchSkins bags.

1. Super cute, lightweight, low-bulk fabrics
2. High-quality cotton with food-safe polyurethane coating (meets US and EU standards) -- the same material that is used at high-end bakeries
3. Fabric and ink are BPA-free, lead-free and phthalate-free
4. Made in the USA (fabric made in Germany)
5. Quick-drying and greaseproof
6. Can hold hot items
7. Dishwasher safe
8. Secure horizontal Velcro closure goes across the entire bag
9. Convenient area to write owner's name
10. Will help you say goodbye to disposable Ziploc baggies

I highly recommend LunchSkins reusable food bags.  I'll probably be purchasing a few more myself soon.

Full disclosure: 3GreenMoms sent me (free of charge) the LunchSkins sandwich and snack bags to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

This post is part of

Things I Love Thursday

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WRAP-N-MAT® Wraps and Snack Pouches {GIVEAWAY}

The WRAP-N-MAT® Wrap ($6.99 - $8.99)

If you're trying to reduce your plastic consumption and save money, WRAP-N-MAT® Reusable Sandwich Wraps and Snack Pouches are a wonderful solution to lunchtime waste from disposable plastic baggies. They are sort of like a sandwich baggie and plastic wrap in one because they securely close but also can be opened up into a flat surface.  The Wraps have been around for over 10 years, but the Pouches were recently created due to numerous requests from customers for a snack bag that opens up flat for easy clean-up.  We have used them for sandwiches, cheese, crackers, pretzals, sliced fruits and veggies.  They work great!  WRAP-N-MAT® provided me with a Wrap and a Mini Pouch (free) so that I could try them and review them on my blog. 

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Reuseit™ Sandwich and Snack Bags

Recently I ran out of quart-sized and sandwich bag ziploc bags simultaneously.  As I pulled the last one or two baggies out of the box, I resolved to stop buying disposable baggies and find reusable alternatives I could use instead. The fact that I was using these disposable plastic baggies up until a couple of weeks ago is why I am truly still the "Eco-novice."

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From Disposable to Reusable (Plastic Baggies)

 

Recently I ran out of quart-sized and sandwich bag ziploc bags simultaneously.  As I pulled the last one or two baggies out of the box, I resolved to stop buying disposable baggies and find reusable alternatives I could use instead. The fact that I was still using these baggies up until a couple of weeks ago is why I still call myself the "Eco-novice."

First I made a list of all the things I use plastic baggies for (I'm sure I've left some things off this list):

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