Standing in line at a lunch counter the other day, I stopped the cashier from bagging my lunch box. “Going green, eh?” asked the guy in front of me. I just nodded and smiled; on the one hand I’m kinda green, on the other hand, I just drove 3 miles to pick up a plate of chicken, beans, and rice I could have crocked up myself if I’d planned the week a little better. But that better planned week would have meant my next stop wasn’t the grocery store, either.

Last winter, I popped into a women’s fashion store to pick up a glittery little shawl to spruce up an older little black dress for the company holiday party. When I asked the cashier to not bag it, and put the shawl in a cloth shopping bag I’d brought with me, her eyes got wide and she warned me that people might think I was shoplifting. I reminded her that I had the receipt and that I was sure I’d be fine.

My local JCPennys stores started selling lovely large cloth bags for $1.49 (now 79¢). After raiding the clearance racks for bargains , I added a bag to the top of the pile. The cashier scanned it in, folded it up, and put it in a plastic bag. “Um,” I interrupted as she started to scan my other purchases. “Could you just put the clothes in the shopping bag I just bought? Please?”

“I don’t think we’re supposed to do that,” she responded.

“Well, that’s what they’re for,” I replied.

She checked with her supervisor, who gave her the go ahead, but it was clear she thought I was completely nuts.

Two years after I bought my first 99¢ cloth bag at an Albertsons store in Southern California, they’re finally everywhere. Before the cheap, convenient bags became widely available, I toted around various random cloth bags, usually give-aways from conferences or picked up at garage sales and thrift stores. They bewildered and annoyed the baggers and clerks, but in general, people are starting to come around.

My friend Mare recently asked for opinions on cloth bags, so here’s my reusable round-up.

I’m not always the greenest kid on the block, but we do what we can in our household. I’m trying to make our choices not only more sustainable, but easy to do. My eldest stopped me several months back to remind me to take my bags to the store: “You can’t buy anything if you don’t take your bags!” But we have accumulated our share of plastic bags and will repurposed as much as possible. This has spawned a discussion with another friend about trash bags, but I’ll spare you today. ;)

Like I said, I’ve experimented with many bags. When possible, I used the same size bag for larger shopping trips; it made the bagger’s job easier. Back in the day, the rule was 10 items per plastic “tee-shirt” style bag that is so popular. Sometimes that worked, sometimes not. You can’t mix squishables like bread with canned goods easily, for example. You’re not supposed to mix chemicals and food items. Little things like that. Most of the time I tried to group things on the belt by weight and size to make things come through logically, with cans on the bottom of bags, boxes in the middle, and delicates up top (if not simply bagged separately).

For larger purchases (buy one get one on the cereal aisle, or paper goods), I love my large JCPenny bags. These are also good for clothes shopping trips; you can put a lot of kid or adult clothes in that bag. The handles are long enough to sling the bag over your shoulder easily and walk while pushing a stroller, slinging a baby, holding hands with a short kid, or all three.

For everyday goods and larger trips, I prefer the standard 99¢ bags that are now more widely available at regular grocery stores. The bags fit in the space the old “tee shirt” style bags occupy, they stand up while being loaded (unless you wash them a lot), they have plastic inserts for bottom stability, and they’re easy to load without overloading. They remind me of the small paper tote bags some grocery delivery services use, and some produce departments use to sell bulk fruits.

They hold up rather well, too. Unless you wash them a lot; they lose the stiffness of their original processing. I’ve only had one casualty so far: one Target bag that’s coming apart at a seam. I’ll probably put some fabric scrap in hole to stabalize it and sew it shut again. But do check your bags as you empty and pack them for the next trip: you don’t want to end up with a major spill in the parking lot or driveway.

Last but not least: one of my favorite bags from Whole (Paycheck) Foods. I’ve only seen them on sale once, and they’ve not yet been restocked. At a buck or so each, these bright colorful bags are made of 80% recycled plastic. They’re taller and wider than the “standard” bags from regular stores, but narrower than the JCP bag. Very sturdy, and leak-resistant. I use mine mostly for swim class days: it holds the pile of swimsuits and wet towels quite well for the ride home.

But overall - consistency is the key. Find a size that loads up to an amount you can handle, and stick with it. Bring enough for all your goods, and don’t be shy about organizing your stuff to flow to the bagging area logically. Bag stuff yourself, take a few moments to get it in and get it right (without killing the flow of traffic). Well worth the effort, and fewer trips (I’ve found) from the car since I can get in more items per bag.