My trips to the grocery store are certainly different since going plant based eating.  I spend much more time in the fresh produce section and skip the meats and cheese sections.  There is almost 50% of the store I can now ignore.  My local grocery store is either a Publix or a Walmart and to my surprise, Walmart (and Target) here have a good selection of vegan options one might not expect.  When I want something that is more exotic and not available local, I use Amazon or a specialty online store.  And at times, I drive a bit to the nearest Whole Foods.

To keep the produce fresher, I make a quick trip to the local Publix about every 3 days.  This allows me to have fresh mushrooms on hand and I only need to plan a few days of meals at a time.  Sometimes, I do plan an entire week in advance.  Each time, I restock a few things:  Black beans, any can of beans I used, some fruit, mushrooms, more potatoes, onions, bread, Earth Balance butter.  Then just add in the specifics.   My local Publix has Earth Balance, Daiya cheeses, tofu, Gardein and other plant based meats.

Of course if you have a store with bulk items like beans, awesome.  And if you have a local farmer’s market, by all means use it!

For certain items I use Amazon.  And occasionally Amazon Pantry.  I find that Pantry is a good deal when I have enough items to justify filling the box.  Often the items are cheaper than Amazon Prime.  With Amazon, I have more selections to choose from and often can find something more in bulk than at my local store.  For example, raw cashews I use a lot.  At the local store, I can buy a plastic container with about a cup of cashews in it for about $5.   On Amazon, I find a large sealable bag (about 5 cups) for under $15.  Same with raw walnuts.  Many spices I use a lot, I find it less expensive to buy larger containers of, specially cumin, chili powder, parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Butler Curls, I buy directly from Butler (they also have great jerky).