Walmart Canada will begin to charge customers for plastic bags as part of its strategy for cutting the amount of plastic that ends up in landfills.
Beginning on February 9, customers will be charged five cents each for plastic bags, with reusable bags available for a discounted rate of 25 cents each.
The company – headquartered in Mississauga, west of Toronto – said that the introduction of a small fee in other countries has helped Walmart to reduce the number of plastic bags by more than half.
Walmart says some of the proceeds from the new charge will go toward supporting recycling initiatives for grocery bags and other thin plastic objects.
The company said it’s also going to improve in-store recycling and collection programs and work with suppliers to find ways of removing plastic from its packaging.
What do you think about this latest development? I don’t mind, I usually have a few reusable bags in my car or purse anyways.
Here are my tips for making an easy transition to to Reusable Bags:
Buy enough bags: I have found that having at least 5-6 bags is a good number for me. Especially if I’m stopping at more than one store.
Make sure you have bags in both vehicles and your purse: There have been a few times when I’m in my husband’s vehicle and it’s convenient for us to stop at a store, but I’m without reusable bags! I’ve learned to keep a few in my husband’s car and my purse because of this.
Keep the bags in the car: Keep your bags in the car at all times as you never know when you are going to need to run a quick errand.
After you unload your purchases in the house, take the bags right back out to the car: Or, at least put them right by your keys, wallet, or purse so you don’t forget to take them back out to the car the next time you go somewhere.
Have bags that are for produce and meats and other bags for items like clothes, shampoo etc: Different colors or designs on each bag helps with telling which bag is for what purpose.
Don’t forget to wash the bags once in a while: Reusable bags can pretty yucky after only a few trips to the store. So in order to stay healthy, make sure to wash them every week or two!
Invest in some good quality bags: I did this years ago and I haven’t had to replace any of my bags yet! They also wash up really well and fold nicely, saving space.
Looking to replenish the kids’ art and craft supplies? Why not check out the selection that is 20% off right now online at Chapters.Indigo.ca! Included brands are Kid Made Modern, Alex, Faber-Castell, Play-Doh and Crayola.
For a limited time only, make any purchase online at The Body Shop and get the Feel So Good Tote for only $30! ($100 value). Here’s what’s included in the tote:
Mango Lip Butter
Strawberry Shower Gel
Cream Bath Lily
Coconut Soap
Shea Body Butter
Satsuma Body Polish
Satsuma Hand Cream
Vitamin E Moisture Cream
Chamomile Eye Makeup Remover
Plus, lather up with The Body Shop’s top-rated accessory, the Cream Bath Lily
Eyeing some sale items online at Penningtons? Now is the perfect time to buy, because if you buy 1, you will get 2 more free! Valid on sale styles only.
Plus, I think you can combine coupon codes, so use the coupon code FREESHIPAFF to get free shipping on your $49 or more purchase to Canada! (expires February 29, 2016)
If you're like most people, you're probably trying to save some money this year. To make saving money easier for you, I thought I'd make a list of some items in life that you really don't have to pay money for. How does that sound?
Check out these 10 items you should stop paying for. It’s always nice to get free stuff from time to time, am I right? 🙂
eBooks
Believe it or not but there are TONS of eBooks you can get for free every day. You just have to be smart about when you get these eBooks. Amazon is my go-to place for getting free ebooks. Check out this postfor tons of other ideas on where to get free ebooks.
A Meal/Treat on your Birthday
Always be sure to sign up for the Birthday Club at all your favorite jaunts. So many places offer great birthday freebies. Ranging from free dessert, to cosmetics to meals. You should be able to find something that strikes your fancy for free! (Check out this list of Canadian Birthday freebies to sign up for.)
Water
Stop buying bottled water and use your tap water! You can buy a cheap filter if you’re worried about contamination or taste.
Gym Memberships
Stop forking over dozens of dollars each month for a gym membership, you can exercise right at home for free. Or if you need the accountability, find a group of friends you can exercise with or an online accountability group.
You probably get a ton of plastic bags when you go to the grocery store, instead of throwing these away re-use them around your home! I like to put them in the garbage cans in our bathrooms.
Books
Your local library has so many books that you really never need to pay books again! While you won’t be able to keep them forever, you can still enjoy them while you have them.
Movies
Speaking of the library, you can get free movies there as well. Again, you can’t keep them, but you also don’t have to pay to see them. 🙂
Car wash
Stop paying $8 for a car wash when you can simply do it yourself. You may even be able to pay your kids in cookies to wash the car for you. 😉 And the same goes for vacuuming your vehicles, you can also do this at home.
Clothing
Set up a clothing swap and stop paying high prices for items your family uses every day! This could especially work well for kids clothing.
Keep in mind that when you don’t pay for an item, you are able to put that money somewhere else. Whether that's for something else you want to purchase or into your savings account. It’s always nice to be able to save a few bucks when you can!
What items do you try to get for free? Let me know in the comments!
