B.Y.O.B.

That would be "Bring Your Own Bag"...cause it's good for the environment (on my soapbox: saves trees and keeps the plastic out of the landfills) and it can save you money! I started using reusable grocery bags about a year ago and once I got myself in the habit of first keeping them in the car and then remembering to bring them in the store, no problem and no turning back for me.

Several stores in the Seattle area offer a refund/credit taken right off your receipt when you bring your own bags. Note: they do manually enter this, so watch to make sure you get the credit. Small, I know, but these pennies really add up over time! Check with your local stores and if they don't already, ask if they will start offering this incentive to "go green."

Here are what my local stores offer:

• Fred Meyer-$.05 per bag refund
• Safeway-$.03 per bag credit
• Top Foods-$.05 per bag refund
• QFC-$.03 per bag refund (or donate to charity)
• Whole Foods-$.10 flat deduction from shopping bill (or donate to charity)

My favorite bag is shown above: A BETTER BAG, the WHOLE FOODS MARKET signature reusable shopping bag-made from 80 percent post-consumer recycled plastic bottles, cute, big enough and strong enough for me to carry my coupon binder in, and best of all, costs less than a dollar.

GO GREEN AND SAVE SOME GREEN!