Clean Living & Prepping Resources

One of the things people often find when they start to weed chemical laden products and unhealthy food from their lives is that local grocery and big box stores quickly become unfriendly places to shop.

Even if your local store carries clean food and green products, the selection is usually limited and the prices can be prohibitive. Those with an eye towards preparedness also tend to be frustrated by the flimsy, bulky or otherwise unhelpful packaging.

Not surprisingly, then, the most common questions on healthy eating websites revolve around where to find real food and how to afford it. 

While there are many places to source from, I've found that the search doesn't end once you've found a few that work. The more you know, it seems, the more you learn. I've just recently come across two new resources that I'd like to share. If you're looking to buy clean or buy in bulk you'll love these!

Vitacost is a website I found via Modern Mrs. Darcy. Featuring a huge selection of food, cleaning products, dietary supplements and more for half what they cost in my local grocery store (if they're even available), Vitacost consistently runs coupons and specials that can make for amazing deals. I bought a six months supply of my favorite all- natural dish soap, a year's supply of Mrs. Meyer's household cleaner (as a concentrate which is a huge space saver) and a pack of the best sponges I've ever used. Total cost with shipping after coupon? $12. Although you need to know your prices (some of the nutritional supplements cost the same as they did on other websites), this can be an incredible money saver. Even the standard shipping was fast - I had my product in less than four days. I will definitely be ordering from them again.

Hillcrest Foods is a bakery distributor with an extensive catalog that serves multiple states across the northeast. Bulk wheat, oats, honey and other staples can be picked up straight from their warehouses for excellent prices. They carry a wide range of products including nuts, cheese and dairy as well. Their entire catalog can be down loaded from their website and pricing is available by phone or email. They were friendly, professional and clean and I am delighted to have found them. Anyone who's ever bought 50# of honey from online distributors can appreciate the huge cost savings in shipping charges alone! Tip: Hillcrest has a whole section of gluten free foods! Par-baked, unbaked, bulk - if you're cringing at the costs of buying gluten free food locally or worried about what you'd do if your local supply got cut off in an emergency, check out their offerings.

Not in the northeast?  Every corner of the country has bakery distributors. It might take a couple tries to find a good one, but keep your eyes and ears open and don't be afraid to ask around. The results can be well worth the effort!