#Happy1stBdayBaby: ReUsies Review

Has anyone noticed that it's a bit more difficult to be green when you have a child?  That's not saying that it's impossible, but that it requires a little more forethought and planning in order to keep from having a massive amount of trash with a little one.  One way we've tried to be green - and save money, isn't it funny how those two go hand in hand - is by cloth diapering.  I'm a bit ashamed to say that while I've had the best intentions for introducing more "green" strategies for life with our little, I've been slow to do so.  That's why I jumped on the opportunity to review ReUsies snack and sandwich bags.  

snack-sized ReUsies bag

ReUsies are reusable snack and sandwich bags that can replace the plastic throw-away bags in your home.  When I went back to work in August, it seemed that my use of these disposable bags skyrocketed.  I would bring at least two to work with me everyday (one with my PBJ and one with trail mix or a similar snack) AND I would pack others with snacks for Lucia to bring to the babysitter's.  We were constantly buying new boxes of disposable sandwich bags, which was expensive as well as terrible for the environment.  Here are a few (horrifying) facts about plastic bags:

• The EPA estimates 500 billion - one trillion plastic bags are used worldwide every year. 
• A typical school/work lunch contains 3-4 plastic sandwich bags each day amounting to upwards of 1,000 each year for one person.
• Plastic bags make up over 10% of debris found on US Coastlines.
  
• Each plastic bag takes over 1,000 years to break down. Plastic bags do not biodegrade, they photodegrade whereby over time they breakdown into smaller, more toxic petropolymers. 
• Less than 1% of plastic bags are recycled. It costs more to recycle a plastic bag than to produce a new one.

I hate that I'm contributing to this!  And I'm embarrassed to share that I've been looking at reusable options for a while but was wary about shelling out the initial investment.  How shortsighted of me since I know that I am spending way more every year to constantly replace the reusable ones.  

love the Little Green Monsters print

I've been very happy with my ReUsies and guarantee that I will be buying more in the future.  I haven't had a spill from one of my bags yet, despite often using them for small snack such as nuts and granola.  One of my big worries with using ReUsies is that they are not airtight; would my sandwich bread get dry or my snacks stale?  Since I my husband packs my lunch the night before or the morning of, I haven't had issues in this respect.  I wouldn't plan to keep snacks in the bag for long periods of time, but for a day or two, it works great.  I also love that the bags can be washed in the washing machine if need be (so far, we haven't had any major mess so washing by hand has been sufficient).  I think these would be great for anyone (we all need something to keep our food in!), but especially for parents of little ones who are always toting around some munchies.  And they come in great patterns that kids will love!

You can buy them at the ReUsies website and various retail stores and connect with ReUsies at their Facebook page and Twitter.  I'm also hosting a giveaway of a two pack as part of my Happy 1st Birthday, Baby! giveaway event.

As part of the Happy 1st Birthday, Baby! giveaway event,

ReUsies is giving away a two-pack of your choice!

Giveaway runs Dec. 5-Dec. 9. Enter here. 

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.