Reusable sandwich bags – have you tried these? (Green + budget friendly)

Thank you Jessica form Green Families for another savvy guest post

I’ve always been interested in reusable products, but it really struck me that I was throwing a lot of money, resources and products away when packing sandwiches and snacks for my son and partner, particularly the lunch time one-hit wonders. It occurred to me that we don’t throw away the containers that that we use to pack lunches into, so why the bags? So I set out to explore a few low-cost alternatives to reusable food and freezer sandwich bags.

reusable lunch bags

First, for those not comfortable with or lacking access to a sewing machine, I would highly recommend Wrap-n-Mat. It’s washable, reusable and can even act as a placemat for some fancy dining. I found mine at Nigel’s Eco Store for £4.99. http://www.nigelsecostore.com/acatalog/Sandwich_Wrap.html You can also find tupperware without scary chemicals like Sistema’s Klip It Picnic/lunch containers that are BPA and lead free.  There are many options out there – just remember not to heat anything in plastic containers – chemicals can leach out scary stuff when heated.

Now, for those of you who are a bit more ”stitchily” inclined, you can try to make your own snazzy reusable packs. I had a piece of fabric leftover that was just the right size, so I decided to make a snack bag. For the inner layer, you can use fabric (like canvas), oil cloth or a cut up a piece of sandwich wrap (my choice for this project). I quickly sewed the 2 pieces together, stitched up the sides leaving a bit of a longer piece in the back and attached Velcro on the front and back for a secure close. For a great (and more helpful) tutorial on making your own, check out http://frenchsleepdeprivationstudy.blogspot.com/2009/06/snack-bag-tutorial.html 

At 4 bags a day for my partner and son’s lunches/snacks, 5 days a week, 48 weeks a year, that’s already that’s already about 1000 bags in savings!

Jessica St. Clair
Green Families
www.greenfamilies.co.uk

Thanks Jess!

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