A little "green" on going green?

I got my race packet yesterday for the GW Parkway Classic. It consisted of a race t-shirt, number, and a reusable grocery bag. No fliers. No give-a-way goodies. It was kind of refreshing. I find I don't use most of the promotional items that are in my packet anyway.

I took a quick trip to store to get a few things after my run yesterday. I did not purchase too may items, but enough to fill 2 plastic shopping bags. I mindlessly carried my items to the car and realized that my reusable bag was sitting in my car, unused. Sighing, I cursed myself for not taking my bag with me into the store. I'm not doing my part! I guess with anything new, it is just a habit. I need to get into the mindset of bringing the reusable grocery bags with me when I go into the store.

Today, I made a point of taking my reusable bags (I say bags because I claimed Erin's bag and her friends bag as my own!! I figured that since I paid the registration fee for both of them, the bags are rightfully mine.) into the grocery store with me. I was not quite sure how to negotiate the whole check out process with the new bags. I decided to do the self check out. My only problem was this....when you use the self check out, all the purchased items must be place in the bagging area. When I put my reusable bag in the bagging area, the machine scolded me that there was an incorrect item in bagging area. I ended up leaving the reusables in my grocery cart, and laying all my groceries in the bagging area. Once I had finished checking out, I had to bag all my groceries from the bagging area. I am glad that there was no line. I would have felt really self conscious making others wait for me to finish.

Maybe you have tried this, and made the whole process work. Any tips?

I really like the bags and the whole idea of doing my part.