It's in the bag

Images from my childhood: My brothers and sister crammed into the car for another trip, our hands in our pockets while at the store and canvas bags with recycle logos.

Growing up, my mother always took canvas bags to the grocery store when she shopped. She always replied, “Paper” when prompted to by the box boy and then used those bags for the next trip.

Who knew my mom taught me something about being green?

Never to be called crunchy granola, the bags were more for convenience than conservation. Now, she says how happy she is that it’s “back in style,” since she’s been using these somewhat trendy bags since the 80s.

I finally followed my mom’s example (Ack! That’s exactly what we try to avoid!) and became a fashionable grocery shopper this weekend. I bought my first canvas bag from Albertsons, 1350 N. Silverbell Road, on Friday night.

And I hate to say it, but my mom was right.

It was completely worth it, despite the fact that I was thoroughly made fun of by my company at the time.

I found the bag near the check out lanes on a “10 for $10” rack, and for $1 I fit all my groceries — including the eggs, which were intact when I got home — in that one bag.

The purchase of the bag was a lot simpler than accepting that I’m slowly turning into my mother.

As a side note, don’t fret if an Albertsons is out of the question — many are going out of business. Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods Market led the way in bringing these bags back. I’ve also seen people walk out of local Wild Oats Market with ones like my mom used to use.

But they can also be purchased at most supermarkets, including Safeway.

So don’t be afraid to spend an extra buck at the grocery store and maybe keep the bag in your car’s trunk at all times if you’re afraid you’ll forget it on grocery day.

At least, that's my plan.