Easily Keep Reusable Bags In Your Car With This Space-Saving Storage Method

Using reusable bags at the grocery store has become a pretty common practice. Whether you're doing your part to reduce your environmental footprint or you shop somewhere that charges for grocery bags (here's looking at you, Aldi), it's a good idea to have some reusable bags in your car. If you don't keep them handy, it's inevitable you'll be in need of them at some point only to find you've forgotten them at home. Of course, having multiple bags in the car can get messy. Sure, you can fold them up flat, but there's a better way to keep them in your car which doesn't take up much space. Instagram influencer Sister Pledge Cleans, whose page is full of cleaning and organizing tips, posted a helpful tutorial on how to fold up reusable grocery bags so they stay tidy in your trunk or back seat.

Through a series of folds, your big, reusable bags become about as small and tidy as a wallet. Even the bag handles come into play, wrapping around the folded bags and keeping them together. You can store your expertly folded bags in one large unfolded bag, a few gallon-sized plastic resealable bags, a trunk organizer, or in the pocket in the backs of your car seats. As small as they fold up, you could also place a couple behind your sun visors, in your glove box, or in the storage compartments on the inside of the car doors. At home, put them wherever you normally store your bags and see how much cleaner the area looks.

If you can believe it, Trader Joe's was the grocery chain that largely introduced Americans to the concept of shopping with reusable bags. Back in the late 1970s, when shoppers could still choose between "paper or plastic" bags at checkout, TJ's sold canvas totes and encouraged customers to bring them every time they shopped. These bags are actually highly fashionable in Japan today. As mentioned above, Aldi has become synonymous with reusable bags because the in-house ones aren't free and customers bag their own groceries so bringing your own just makes sense. Of course, if you forget your bags here, you can always grab one of the store's empty shipping boxes to carry your items out with.

Today, most large grocery chains sell reusable bags even if they still divvy out their own plastic or paper bags for free. Reusable bags are typically pretty affordable and come in different options like the standard style you can fold up according to the aforementioned Instagram tutorial or insulated ones that are great for toting hot or cold items home. The concept of these earth-friendly bags have even reached the realm of high fashion, with luxury brand Balenciaga offering a $3,290 leather tote that looks exactly like something you'd purchase at a grocery store. We're pretty sure you won't want to fold this one up into something the size of a wallet.