Stocking Your Pantry

Many of the ingredients I use can be quite expensive when purchasing them through a regular grocery store or health food store.  I tend to buy online and in bulk, which saves me the energy of having to drive around to different stores and means I usually have what I need on hand.  The intial investment when buying in bulk may be hard to swallow, so it may be something you have to ease into.  Here are some tips:

1.  Join a food buying club, such as, United Natural Foods.  If you go to their website you can find a drop off coordinator near you to get the details.  You order items by the case and you can usually plit cases with other members of your buying club.  The higher the order volume of your club, the more of a discount you will receive.  Everything is done online, so it's very easy.

2.    Sign up for Amazon Prime.  I order so much from Amazon.com that it makes sense for me to pay the annual fee and get free 2 day shipping on items eligible through Amazon Prime (which is everything I buy).  Look for Subscribe and Save, as well, which will save an extra 15%. 

3.  Buy from the bulk bins.  Items, such as nuts and grains, are much more affordable when you purchase them from the bulk bins at your grocery store (if they have a decent health food section) or a health food store, like Whole Foods.

While I continually shop around for the best deals, here is where I purchase a few of my favorite (and expensive) things:

Almond Flour - I purchase this online at Honeyville Grain for $28.99 plus $4.49 shipping for a 5 lb bag.  It is ground blanched almonds with the skins removed, as opposed to some almond meals you may see that are ground with the skins.  This type of almond flour works particularly well in recipes. Note that if you sign up for their mailing list they will email coupons periodically (every 4-6 weeks).  You can save 10-15%.  It's a good idea to buy two bags when you can save.  Store what you are going to use in the refrigerator and the rest in the freezer.

Coconut Oil - The best deal I have found on this is at Mountain Rose Herbs.  It's organic, virgin, cold pressed and unrefined, which are things you want to look for when purchasing coconut oil.  One gallon costs $37 plus around $12 shipping, which is only $.39 per ounce.  Compare that to $.71 per ounce you pay at the store.  It lasts for a very long time stored at room temperature.

Agave nectar - Amazon has a great price, especically if you (1) are an Amazon Prime customer and (2) you choose Subscribe and Save.  You will get free 2 day shipping if you are Amazon Prime and you will save 15% if you subscribe to the product.  You can choose to receive your agave nectar at whatever interval you want (1 month, 2 month, 6 months, etc.) and you can skip any shipments if you are not ready for more yet.  Since there are no obligations, you can cancel your subscription any time.  I order a lot from Amazon using these two things, because it saves me from having to drive all over the place trying to find the best price.  It's delivered right to my door step in two days.  Amazon Prime does have an annual fee, but I find it worth every penny.  Like I said, I order a lot from Amazon.com.