Baggu - A Little Thing Well Done

Grocery bags are a waste. The paper ones are bulky, and the plastic ones are annoying bits of foreign oil. Grocery stores are encouraging us to reuse bags (many offer a nickle per bag), but I can never remember to put them in my car or bring them in. Environmental fail.

One day, I ran into one of my favorite divorce lawyers at the grocery store (they tend to be wonderful people if you're not an opposing client), and she was using a nylon bag to tote her groceries. It simply looked well-made - handles that were long enough to loop over her shoulder but not so long as to drag on the floor if she held them in her hand, and well-constructed enough to carry out a small cart-load of groceries. "It's a baggu," she explained, and showed me how it fit into a tidy five inch square pouch so it was easy to keep in the car or in her purse. She directed me to the website (baggubag.com), though you can also buy them through MoMA.

I bought some. I love them. I recommend them without reservation.

It turns out they're something of an international hit, judging by the press page on the Baggu website, with mentions in everything from People magazine to Sunset. Who knew?

I can't afford to drive the best car on the road. A top-of-the-line suit would blow my clothing budget for a decade. I can't even look at the "reserve" section on a good restaurant's wine list.

But if you run into me at Brookside Market, I'll be at the leading edge of tote bag fashion. And it costs less than $10 to get there.