If you read my grocery haul posts, you might wonder about a few things. For instance, what about toilet paper? You never see that on my grocery hauls and this is why: I buy it by the case from Amazon. I use their “subscribe and save” program and toilet paper just arrives at my house as if by magic.
I receive the following items via “subscribe and save”:
- toilet paper
- olive oil
- tuna (wild caught, low mercury)
- tea (Choice Organic)
What about coffee? I buy a few bags at a time online via Community Coffee. It’s a Louisiana-based coffee company which has been run by the same family since 1919. It’s not certified Fair Trade, however I did some research and am comfortable with my choice after reading this. David and I like the flavor, the price is good, and we are happy to support this company. I signed up for their emails and whenever I see a good special (free shipping or such) I order. I make sure to always order while I still have a couple of bags on hand.
You don’t see pet food in my grocery hauls because we purchase dog and cat food from Pet Sense here in Ada. They are really nice and if David picks up the food they give him a discount because he’s a firefighter.
You may not have seen foil or plastic wrap in my hauls because I purchase them so rarely. I mostly have them on hand for covering food I take somewhere (church potlucks and the like) so a roll lasts me for ages. What you never see are paper napkins (we use cloth), paper plates (we have plenty of dishes, even for parties), plastic bags (I save cereal bags and other plastic bags from from food to reuse), and paper towels. I have a roll of paper towels way up high in a cupboard and only use them to drain taco shells or bacon. I’ve been using the same roll for at least two years. I do have another tucked away so I’m good for several years.
You may have noticed a few household items such as dishwashing liquid. I use Biokleen which I purchase by the gallon from Azure Standard. I also use the Biokleen stain treatment but we don’t have little ones so a bottle lasts ages. Other cleaning supplies I use are Biokleen toilet cleaner and bathroom cleaner. I usually get these through Azure Standard, or sometimes at Dodson’s in Norman. In the kitchen I use Barkeeper’s Friend to scour my white porcelain sink and I buy this at Apple Market here in town. I use one or two cans a year. This is what I use on my furniture:
According to Amazon, I purchased it in July of 2010. Obviously a little goes a long way. And it smells wonderful!
I’ve had an Amway membership for around 30 years and have always used their laundry detergent. These days I also use soap nuts at least part of the time (moving toward almost exclusive use but old habits die hard). I’ve tried several natural dishwasher detergents but with our extremely hard water I just haven’t been completely happy with any of them. I finally gave up and started buying Amway’s detergent which comes in little packets that dissolve. It is by far the best I’ve ever used.
While I try really hard to use only safe and natural products, I do have two items which I’m just not willing to give up: Downy and PineSol. I love the original Downy scent. I water it down quite a bit and don’t use it in every load but I do want it on my sheets, at least. I use vinegar in the rinse for some other loads, though. And PineSol. What can I say? The smell just signals “clean” for me. My mom cleaned with it, too. I don’t use it every day but once in awhile I like to put a little on a rag and wipe down all my counters – even if they are clean – simply because I like the smell. I also use a splash of it in my mop water.
So that explains what you don’t see in my grocery hauls. If I missed something, just ask in the comments.
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