Plastic vs. Paper: the Eternal Question

My devious mind was at work again this morning. Living alone, one starts to realize that one doesn't need to do things the same as at home. Now that I'm doing laundry, I'm hyper-sensitive about fabric use. For example, I realized that every time a dish rag touches another physical object, it accumulates dirt, and comes that much closer to needing a wash. So, instead of drying dishes by hand, or even setting them on top of a rag to dry, I'm just going to let them dry in the sink while I'm at work. And hey, it works! Who knew...

As I was walking to work this morning, I was thinking about this evening's activities. Namely, grocery shopping. Normally I'd just come home from work, jump in the car, and drive to Fred Meyer or Grocery Outlet. However, as I was thinking on these things, I passed a Safeway to my left across the street. Hey. I thought. Sure, Safeway's a little more expensive, but I can save time by picking stuff up on my walk home instead of taking a separate trip. In FACT, by carrying my groceries home, I can get a little upper-body exercise! Well, as with most things, there were positives and negatives to the idea, and I'd naturally focused in on the more positive factors. In hindsight, I can see a few small negatives:

1. Safeway is quite expensive, I spent $45 on a week's worth of groceries. (about three bags worth)
   
2. Even though Safeway is only a third of a mile from my apartment, that's as the crow flies. After you've navigated the parking lot, found the sidewalk, gone through three busy intersections, and staggered the rest of the way, you've ended up carrying those three--now very heavy--bags for about fifteen minutes. While that may not sound like a lot, them shoulders start to feel it. Also, I realized while I was waiting for the second light, that it's not the arms which give out first... it's the fingers. While standing there, watching my fingers turn the color of a corpse, I pondered the age-old question: plastic or paper?

One thing's clear, the guy who invented plastic grocery bags sure didn't use them.