Call me crazy, but I am one of those people who actually enjoy grocery shopping and since this is the time of the year to pig out, I shop more often than usual. And when I go, I take my sweet time getting my shopping done and sometimes I end up buying tons of food that I wasn’t even planning on getting. This generally happens to me when I go to Trader Joe’s. They probably have the most appealing packaging in the market and their sample stations are dangerous haha !! The other day I walked out with a jar of Amarena Cherries and a box of extra thick maple & brown sugar glazed bacon (two things that I don’t buy on a daily basis, but totally worth every bite haha). 

A few days ago when  I was at Trader Joe’s I came across the Trader Joe’s Mystery Bag. I was very curious to see what was inside, so I got one for only $2.99. As soon as I got home, I opened it and I was so happy with its content!! It was filled with 3 fun and colorful reusable bags from different TJ’s stores across the country. They are not only really nice, but they are also great quality! 

These bags were exactly what I needed because for the longest time I’ve been wanting some fun yet stylish bags that I can take grocery shopping and the same time help the environment by using my own reusable bags instead of the environmentally harmful plastic bags!! Did you know plastic bags is one of the deadliest threats to sea turtles, birds, and marine mammals? If that isn’t reason enough for you to stop using plastic bags, I have listed various reasons that would definitely make you change your mind and go to Trader Joe’s and get your own Mystery Bag!

Why Should You Stop Using Plastic Shopping Bags?

1.The making and manufacturing of plastic bags cause problems from the start, due to the unstable use of resources like natural gas and petroleum products, and the pollution generated during the production.  
2. Platic bags can travel long distances and often don’t stop until they rich a stream, river or the ocean. Animals end up ingesting the waterborne plastic pellets as food. For instance, sea turtles mistake plastic bags for jellyfish.
3.The ingestion of plastic bags is not the only problem that sea animals encounter. Bags can become wrapped around turtles and birds, strangling the animals to death.  
4.The United Kingdom Marine Conservation Society states that plastic bags require 450 to 1,000 years to decompose in the environment. They do not biodegrade in the water, instead break apart into smaller pieces and soak up toxins, polychlorinated biphenyls, also known as PCBs.
5.  Can generate flooding problems since the bags can clutter gutters and sewers grates.
6.Recycling options for plastic bags are limited and only a few are recycled.

The bags have a different design on the front and on the back, which I think it is pretty cool!!

Thanks for reading!