No, this isn’t about “porter votre vin” restaurants or any type of alcohol, really.  This is about accessories. Sort of.  Though it came as a shock at first, many grocery stores (ie, most if not all) expect you to bring your own bag to take away your purchases.  Forgetting “ton sac” means you either have to carry everything in your arms or must pay 30 cents a bag.  But there are plenty of options in choosing your grocery bag.

Though many students constantly carry a plastic bag around with them, I’d prefer to use something a little more aesthetically pleasing.

I need this to carry my bread. Â

The Ornj Tote bag from DavidShockDesigns reminds me of home, where the two seasons are Winter and Construction (I’m a dork).

I’m also thinking about making my own Hungarian bag from felt…you can see the instructions at MarthaStewart.com.

Meanwhile, I’m looking forward to seeing the designs from Print Magazine’s Carry Hope project, which gives 12 designers the chance to support their favorite causes with tote bags.  If you’ve stumbled across any great new bags or totes, post them in the comments section below.  I’d love to take a look!

Even if you don’t live in Europe and have easy access to all the plastic bags you want, there are some good reasons to switch to a non-plastic, non-paper bag for shopping purposes.  Read this article from the Wall Street Journal for more details.

(image source: Etsy.com)