Why You Should Always Take a Scarf When You Go Shopping

When I'm out shopping, I tend to forget that, whatever I buy, I have to carry home - on the bus if I'm lucky, by cab if I'm very lucky [ a 2-hour wait for a cab isn't that unusual] or on foot [about a 45-miute walk].

I came up with this out sheer necessity, having over-shopped and no buses or cabs for the foreseeable future.

This is how I usually got my shopping and myself home - and, with the stick, it meant that I only had one hand to carry the bags in. These bags are rather annoying; if carried in the hand the bags tend to bump the ground, so one has to lean a bit, or sling them on one's forearm, to keep them off the ground.

One day it happened to be a bit chilly, so I had a scarf with me.

I was struggling with the bags as usual ... and then came the lightbulb-over-the-head moment. I put the scarf through the handles and tied it in an ordinary reef knot [aka square knot].

And hey presto, hands-free. It still weighs the same, of course, but one's shoulder is much better able to take the strain than one's hands - especially if essentially one-handed!

This way I can swop them from side to side, to give each shoulder a rest.

I've carried four such bags home on occasion, all fully loaded. Not much fun, but a whole lot better than struggling with them in my hand.

[] It can be a pain when the material gets crumpled and stretched, as is bound to happen; it rolls and folds and they can dig in. But still less of a pain than hand-carrying.

[] The weight needs to be fairly evenly distributed front and back, otherwise there'll be slippage. But one can always hoik them back into place.

[] This obviously wouldn't work on all scarf materials! The label on this scarf says "100% Polyester" - just as well I didn't wear my stretchy woolly one or I'd never have thought to try this. Now this scarf goes in my bag whenever I go shopping, in case of need.