Bag it up

In typical British fashion, for the past week, the nation has been in some kind of turmoil over the new charges for plastic bags. Always a nation that likes to kick up a fuss at the smallest of things, there's been all kinds of headlines, from supermarkets having to put security tags on their bags to stop them being taken without payment to people doing their best to dodge the 5p charge by simply taking the trolley home with them.

There were even people drafted into the morning news broadcasts to explain the 'complexities' of the new tax.

Dear me, we really do know how to make a mountain out of a molehill, don't we?

Most people can see why the tax has been introduced and most will agree that ultimately, it's a good thing. And the solution is simple - if you want to avoid paying for plastic bags, just remember to take a bag, next time you go shopping.

Just like I have done this past week, determined to actually remember to take my own bags with me rather than just leaving them, forgotten in the boot of my car.

I've been introduced to Trolley Bags and I have to say, they're pretty ingenious. More than just a humble bag for life, these babies are actually a trolley system.

There's four different bags, each in a different colour and varying in size. They're made from a light, durable material and have plastic poles across the top to keep the bag upright and rigid - you simply pop them in your trolley and they rest neatly inside.

Honestly, these are such a good idea. They fold and roll up together, with a carry handle for ease, and have a velcro strip connecting them together so you can open them out inside your trolley, or separate them if you only need one or two bags for a smaller shop.

I've been keeping mine inside my trolley whilst shopping, with the bags pushed together, then at the checkout, I open the bags up and organise my shopping as it's scanned into bags, so all cupboard items are together in one bag, fridge in another and so on.

It's then easy to take these back to the car and at home, I save time packing everything away because of how it's all conveniently grouped together.

You then just bunch them together, roll and velcro and you're good to go.

After just a couple of uses, I think I've kicked my plastic bag habit.

Here's why I love them:

- Easy to take to the shop, as they roll up together

- Different sizes to suit my shopping needs

- Fit neatly in a trolley, making it easy to organise shopping

- They stick together to keep them ordered or can be separated

- Unpacking at home takes less time

- No extra costs when you get to the till!

Trolley Bags cost £16.99 for a set and there's three different options to choose from. Whilst that may be the cost of some 340 plastic carrier bags, they're definitely worth looking at as they make life easier and of course they're better for the environment because they can be reused.

Even Ironman has to do the big shop every now and then.

The trick, of course, is to remember to put the bags back in your car then remember to take them out again before you go on your next big shop - a habit I will get used to eventually!

* I was kindly sent a set of Trolley Bags, but as ever, I only share things I am genuinely interested in or would recommend.