New Normal & Shopping Online (Resources)

 So.

Even being a hermit by nature did not prepare me for this "new normal" situation of being locked down. Not only am I shopping online for the usual things I always ordered but now I am having to find resources for extras.

With my health danger level currently set to Defcon2 - or whatever is a step before it gets kinda bad - I am trying to eat better. Whole foods, high-fiber foods, fully-seeded and good-grained foods. Less red meat - bye-bye weekly smoked neckbones, hello fish, chicken, and tofu.

I don't care that Trader Joe's hasn't come online. I have been forced to search out and find other places and products that I can get online.

Now here's the deal: I only have searched these out and not examined them. I'm sharing with you but just know that you will need to do your own homework to discover the details. The list is focused mainly on "healthy"(er) type choices, but there are some general options included.

I will make very minor comments because, well, that's what I do. Here we go:

• Thrive Market. I don't know how I feel about this one. I'm not big on memberships. (If you want a peek without logging in, try this link.)
• Farmbox Direct is another service I probably won't use. I live in the Midwest. I'm good for veggies.
• Natural Food Shop - I am linking to the FAQs because I think that's more helpful.
• I am going to link to the About Us page for Bubble. I found this most interesting, even if I don't need their products. 
• Natural Zing has a narrow inventory but is all about "superfoods" so I think it belongs here.
• I want to love Boxed and I kind of do. It reminds me of a local co-op grocer that would get good stuff sometimes but wasn't the place to go looking for everything. Biggest Plus is that it's like a membership-free warehouse. Of sorts. I'm not immediately impressed by the prices on, say, sparkling water.
• I think vitamins-only when I hear Vitacost so I am linking to their Food section.
• GoPuff is the service I would use if I wanted a bottle of Jack and some smokes at midnight because I can't sleep. That's not what they are limited to, of course, but their delivery area is narrow. Check the very bottom of the linked page to see if your area is covered.
• Amazon Fresh is something I would LOVE to have access to. Alas, my zip code is too hick for them.
• Bob's Red Mill sells mostly in bulk (I can't even afford a handful of his products) but the site has recipes for bread I looked at.
• Grain Place Foods just looked interesting to me.
• Pleasant Hill Grain covers grains, seeds, and even bakeware.

Now, for those of you who missed so many of my other posts,  I will direct you to search back for links to these standard online shopping options:

• Target is on Instacart in most areas or you can use their on-site choice of Shipt.
• Walmart delivers, has curbside, in-store pickup, shipping options, and might even have options specific to your area.
• Instacart is awesome. Even in my small and limited zip code, I have options of Target, Staples, Petco, Hyvee, and Aldis. Choices depend on your deliver-to zip code. My niece in Alaska has Costco as an option. Meanwhile, I can order regular ground delivery from Costco - if I still had my membership.

Check if there are any smaller, local services providing delivery. My best friend and I joked how, back in the day, you could have a taxi pick up cigarettes and bread from the local mart and bring it to you. I kind of wish that was a joke.

Let me know if any of you hear about other places.

To summarize:

Shopping online might be the new normal. Saving while shopping is smart. You can make shopping easier and cheaper. Use the online resource. Use online groceries. Buy in bulk when you can. Get a food sealer or other food-saving process. Health and wellness is more important than ever. 

Peace

--Free

Amazon's Been Hiding (Bulk Buy) Stuff

 Katt Williams will understand me when I say that I am both happy and sad right now.

I just found out that Amazon has a bulk Bulk Food Supply department. I do probably 90% of my grocery, household, and personal goods shopping on Amazon. I actually once found their site directory. And that directory does not link to the Restaurant and Bulk Food Supply department I just discovered. By complete accident.

So I am happy that I stumbled onto the page but sad that I didn't know about it before.

Lately, I've been in bread-baking mode. I have refined my basic bread skills and am working on learning the Tangzhoung method for my yeast bread.  I love baking for two reasons: it's cheaper to bake it than to buy it (especially brioche or other specialty bread), and it's therapeutic. It's probably beneficial to brain function because I really have to focus and concentrate on each step. 

The smell of flour and yeast and eventually, fresh-baked bread is just a whole other level of aromatherapy. 

Yesterday, I made my first mostly-successful loaf of Japanese Milk Bread. Next time, I plan to get it just right. Because mine did not come out this nicely...

Anyway, I was going to buy more yeast in the little neighborhood market. A tiny set of packs - about a tablespoon each - was almost 2 dollars. The last jar I had - that has lasted me for a long while - was from a neighbor. Once when we were out and she lost her card, I gave her a tiny bit of money. I wouldn't let her return it so when she saw me baking one day, she ran home and came back with a brand new jar of yeast. She bought it thinking she needed it for a one-time recipe.

I checked all the groceries on Instacart and, yep, yeast is pricey. I decided to look for something in bulk. Nothing at Walmart, Target, or Amazon. At least, that's what I thought when I tried just using the Amazon search bar.

Where do most of us go searching online? Google. My search query? "online food supply".  Because I' lazy. Guess what came up right near the top of the search returns?

It's probably because the internet spies know me better than my own family. I wasn't surprised that Amazon was at the top. But I kinda was...

Normally, when I'm searching for food products and Amazon switches categories for me it's from "All Departments" to "Grocery & Gourmet Food". Not this:

Anyway.

Since I was there, I went about looking for some yeast in larger packages. I found this 1-pound package.

I like everything about it except that the package is not resealable. 

I had to put some in my old yeast jar in the fridge then seal the rest airtight to keep in the freezer. Every time I open the main package, I will risk spilling yeast everywhere. Annoying.

Back when I started this post, I had only been looking for things very basic bread-baking supplies. Recently, I have been looking into buying things to make seeded and sprouted grain bread. I will have to check out this Bulk section so I can do price comparisons. Another thing I find worth buying in bulk are paper plates, plastic utensils, and other household items I love as a single gal.

Anyway, there you have it. In case you were looking.

To summarize:

Buying in bulk saves money. You don't have to have a large family to buy in bulk. Amazon has competitive prices when buying in bulk. Compare prices. Get a food sealer. Do your research.

Peace

--Free