Does anyone really need 672 plastic grocery bags?

My cousin Kasey stood in my kitchen doorway, a diaper wrapped up like a burrito in one hand, and asked, “Do you have an extra plastic bag?”

I jumped up off the couch. This was my moment to shine.

An extra plastic bag? I have 672 grocery bags stuffed into a holder designed just for this purpose on the inside of a cabinet door.

“Voila!” I said, pulling one out. A dozen more tumbled to the floor.

I have no idea why I keep them all. I get more every time I go to Target or the grocery store. (Yes, I have reusable bags in the back-back of the car, but I forget to take them into the store.)

I do use them to line the bathroom trash cans and pick up dog poo.

There are other stashes in my kitchen I can’t explain:

A drawer filled with the plastic cutlery sets you get when you order takeout: plastic knife and fork, napkin and little packets of salt and pepper in a plastic sleeve.

A compartment in the refrigerator filled with little packets of condiments. (There are 51. I counted.)

Why do I save it all? It would be handy in the event of an emergency evacuation. Not that I’ve ever had to do that. Maybe a zombie apocalypse?

We save these of things because our parents did, said Renee Belisle, who is a certified professional organizer. She said I should throw out the condiments and recycle the rest. (I can recycle the plastic bags right at the grocery store.)

Next time I forget my bags in the car, Renee said, I should run back for them before I check out. Then I’ll remember next time.

Before I haul the stash off to be recycled, tell me what you do with yours: the serious things, the funny, the artistic. What should I do with all these bags?

Send your ideas at karina.bland@ arizonarepublic.com. I’ll share the best ones.