I joined a local food club, “Paradise Food Club”. My first order came in this past Monday. I’ll try to share my order every month so you can get a feel for what is available. I was really excited to hear about this club. It is, unfortunately, not a local or even state sourced program like I had hoped. The products come from a United Natural Foods warehouse in Indiana. That means I will continue to seek out local sources of food and other goods whenever I can. The nice part is that I now have a great variety of natural and organic products at my fingertips instead of being stuck with the one or two options offered at the grocery store.
Here’s what I ordered this month:
- 5# regular raisins (not organic) $11.13: about the same as the locally owned grocery store’s sale price
- 30 oz. Jason’s Naturals Aloe Vera Body Wash $11.24: nice big bottle with a pump dispenser, natural/organic, paraben free, neutral scent so we can both use it. I tried it tonight and it isn’t as super foamy as normal wash but I’m sure once I get used to it I won’t notice. Also the bit of aloe scent isn’t delicious but it’s not offensive either, just weird. It doesn’t stick with you luckily.
- 180 ct. organic cotton swabs $2.84: not sure I’ll always buy these due to the price but they are nice, especially since traditional cotton is so pesticide laden. I mostly bought them because it was the only thing on the grocery list and I didn’t want to go just for them and end up buying other stuff.
- 50# organic quick rolled oats $38.81: assuming i did my math right this was a way better price than anything i found online or at the grocery store even compared to non organic oats. I eat a lot of oats so I fly through those dinky little canisters. This alone makes the club worth it to me so far!
There was $1.84 S&H charge and a few cents tax which annoyed me because I had specifically asked if I should expect S&H and was told there was no charge. Still, it’s not significant. You shop online and add things to your cart throughout the month. Whatever is in your cart on the due date gets run through. The orders are delivered to the local fairgrounds via semi one week later. You pay, preferably by check, when you pickup. The pickup time is a bit of a problem for me because it’s the middle of the day on Monday. I work only a few minutes away but I had to take lunch early to get there. Jean, the organizer, was nice enough to call me when the truck got there so I didn’t have to leave work until the very last minute and the girls at work were great about it.
If you want more info just asked and I’ll put you in touch with Jean. Have you ever joined a buying club or considered it? What did you like/dislike?
Well congrats to buying bulk! I’ve never joined a buying club or anything like that (my fiance claims that we don’t have storage — aka he doesn’t want to FIND storage), but I look forward to seeing how yours progresses.
Hi Jena,
Yea for you!!
I have been able to completely eliminate the big chain grocery or even the small chain grocery from our lives because of our food buying club (www.chicagofoodcoop.org). We have been exposed to new items and ingredients and have found a community of ‘home cooks’. My first choice is always local, but when I can’t get local, it comes from our food buying club. We have saved tons of money and it has completely changed the way we shop, cook and eat so much for the better! I think you will like it a lot! We too, get food once a month. If we don’t have it, we don’t eat it or have to wait until it comes in. Good luck and have fun experimenting. One last note – sometimes things are more expensive, but I find that I am willing to spend the extra money because it still ends up being cheaper than having to go to a drug store (for the cotton swabs) and the products are so.much.healthier!
I’m glad to hear a similar club is working for you! I’m already hooked and don’t think I’ll be dropping out anytime soon.