[Ever see something you want but don’t have the money to buy? Ever get sick of studying/watching TV and have the urge to get crafty and make things on your own? We know! Us too! We just don’t know where to start, which is why we got some of CollegeCandy’s craftiest writers to share their favorite DIY projects with everyone. These things are easy, fun and a great way to save some serious cashola.]

Everyone has an old t-shirt (or 40) lying around in the back of their closet that has no chance of being worn again. Not that any of us will ever get rid of them; they have sentimental value! But they are also taking up some much-needed space that would be better utilized for all the new maxi dresses we’ve been eying.

Instead of stacking them in drawers, why not turn them into something useful (and cute) and help protect the environment in the process? Turn that retro t-shirt into a recycled tote bag that can be used for the gym, school, or just walking on the streets! Stop wasting plastic shopping bags (which are typically used less than 30 minutes and only 1 % are recycled) and do your shopping in nostalgic style.

Materials:
T-Shirt (heavyweight cotton works best; size depends on preference)
Scissors
Needle & thread / Sewing machine

Steps:
1)    Lay your t-shirt on a flat surface and smooth it out.
2)    Cut off the sleeves on both sides, taking care to leave the seam in place as it will make your tote more durable.
3)    Cut the neck of the tee in a semicircle shape to make the opening bigger.
4)    Turn the shirt inside out and sew across the bottom to seal the bag. (You can sew over it again to make it stronger.)
5)    Turn the shirt right-side out.
6)    Sew along the edges (where the sleeves were) to make them straight, or you can keep them frayed.
7)    And that’s it! So easy and so useful! Now get out there and stock up on the groceries with your new bag

For instance, I can turn down plastic bags at the grocery store. And why not? I mean, I have lots of giant purses and some canvas tote bags. I have absolutely no problem shoving my groceries in these bags instead of plastic ones.

So for the better part of this year, I have made this change. And I keep getting treated like an as*hole.

My local grocery store isn’t RUDE about my dismissal of their bags, but there have certainly been a few times when I have heard one cashier, in particular, mutter something in Spanish to the Spanish-speaking bag boy, resulting in a collective chuckle from the two of them. I’ve tried to tap into my college Spanish classes during these exchanges, hoping to decode what they’re saying, but it doesn’t matter; I can read body language well enough. And rolled eyes when I (politely!) say, “I don’t need a bag, I’ve got my own”, speak loud and clear.

However, when I was visiting my family in West Virginia this past week, there were no rude remarks in Spanish. Nope. They were to my face and in English. One day at the grocery store, I told the bag boy – again, politely – that I didn’t need a bag. He said, “Fine then”, with the attitude that only an angst-ridden-job-hating 16 year old could muster up while proceeding to crumple up the unused plastic bag and throw. it. away. In front of me. Just to make a point. What a jerk.

At the same grocery store the next day, my sister bought one can of cherry pie filling. (Yummmmmmmm!) She very courteously asked to NOT have a bag and the bag man (well into his 60′s) ignored her. Thinking that perhaps he didn’t hear her, she repeated herself, only for him to say,

“You can’t leave this store without a bag.”

WHATTTTTT? What is THAT? Since when can you not leave a store without a plastic bag? Since when does a receipt not suffice as proof of purchase? Why are these people taking our desire to help the planet as a personal attack?

I don’t want to discredit the job of the bag boy/man/girl/woman, but this has gone too far, in my opinion. They’re getting paid per hour (not per bag!), no matter what, so why should people who are trying to do their part for the planet get treated like this? Any explanations? Suggestions? Personal Tales?

(Photo from: aolcdn.com)