Where I buy stuff

Here’s the breakdown

I was sitting in a waiting room today with my mom. She was showing me cute Instagram ads that were clearly marketed to her (cue, “grandma was here” matching pajamas), when she turned to me and said, “What were you saying yesterday [on Instagram Stories]? That it’s cheaper to get your meat from Erewhon??”

No, no, no, Mom. That’s not what I said. 🙄😆

Anyway. I thought I’d breakdown the staples of my market lists for you — what I get where. The determinant factor is price, of course. I’m always on the hunt for the best product at the best price. Here goes:

Farmer’s market:

• soy and corn-free pasture-raised eggs

• in-season fruit

• local honey

• fresh herbs

• extra-virgin olive oil (Uncle Berch)

Erewhon

Membership is worth it if you’re going to shop there regularly.

• raw dairy

• True Story Turkey

• Kalahari Biltong

• Painterland Sisters yogurt

• Kalona Supernatural cottage cheese

Costco:

• tropical fruits like pineapple, mango, and other imports

• Italian butter

• Big blocks of raw cheese and Manchego

• Proscuitto

• A2 milk for the girls (Emilia gets mad when I give her what she calls “shake it up milk.” She doesn’t want to see any chunks of cream.)

• Italian pasta

• canned tomatoes

• ghee

• apple cider vinegar

• sardines and tuna

• avocados

• frozen fruit

• not-so-bad-for-you snacks for the kids

• Hawaiian bread

• New Zealand lamb (Costco Business Center only)

Trader Joe’s

• bacon

• tropical fruits

• snacking cheese

• Italian salami

• packs of olives

• sourdough bread

• small blocks of raw cheeses

• coffee

This list varies, of course. I’m going to Whole Foods less now that I use Erewhon more. I also have a Thrive membership, which I’m considering canceling. The only thing I really use it for is to buy the girls’ cereal (Three Wishes) in bulk. Not sure the $60/year membership fee is worth the $3/box savings.

I get my meat and poultry by mail order from Frankie’s Free-Range Meat (Don’t recommend. There’s always an issue with these Amish places. And try getting anyone to answer an email or pick up a phone 😠), Herd and Grace, if I want to splurge, or most reliably, Grass Roots Farmer’s Co-op (code ANAIS gets you 20% off). And my Farmfluence box has made my trips to the farmer’s market much quicker than they used to be, thanks to getting most of my vegetables delivered to my door (code is cookwithanais).

Thank you for reading! I hope you found this helpful. What did I miss? Tell me what your staples are in the comments.

Love,

Anais