You're not at all unusual - in fact I find it perfectly consistent. The same mindset of resourcefulness and making the most of what you have (= healthy Paleo eating) has also ultimately led you to source well in your grocery shopping.

Here's my current (and ever shifting) lineup.

• Amazon - Obscure or international condiments and seasonings. Nutiva coconut oil. Navitas Naturals organic cacao nibs and cocoa powder. Seasoned flax crackers. Almond flour (Bob's Red Mill) and coconut flour (via Tropical Traditions). Bake dried fuji apples (2 lb. packages). Macadamia nuts at around $11/lb.

• Trader Joe's - organic vodka sauce, organic grass fed ground beef (just add some spaghetti squash and dinner's ready), Kerrygold butter is cheapest here, I've found.

• Whole Foods - This is where I buy my heavy cream (found cheapest of all sources) and also the green package (= pastured) Organic Valley butter (~$5.50/lb.). Duck, grass fed organic ground beef.

• Giant - Produce, I buy a lot of "Nature's Promise" (the in-house natural brand) poultry, bacon, and beef because it's no antibiotics/no hormones. (Not grass fed organic, but it's my starting point.) Green & Black's Organic 85% dark chocolate - as it frequently is on sale for $2.50/bar here.

• Sam's Club - Kerrygold cheese are cheapest here (and similar at Costco the one time I visited and checked). Also: Organic baby carrots ($5/5 lb.), organic eggs (~$3.30/doz, packages of 2 doz. for ~$6.60), sometimes organic 2% milk (~$3.30/half gal). Raw almonds and dates. Other produce as needed. ...wishing that they had more natural/organic options. May switch to Costco next year based on what I've seen and heard from others.

• Target - also a source of reasonably priced cage free organic eggs, ~$3.75/doz. (Another grocery store around me sells organic eggs @ $5/doz. Eek.) Half gallons of organic whole milk at $3.30 or so.

• Trader Joes
• Henry's
• Jimbo's
• regular market (Stater)
• the lady down the steet who sells me eggs
• my coworker who gets me wild game meat(deer, buffalo, pheasant, etc)
• Feedstore (for the cat, dog and our chickens)

I don't actually require all of the stores, but some have better prices than others and some have specific items that I prefer.

1) Farmstand type store for local raw honey and fresh veggies like zucchini, squash, cucumbers. (I have found a local co-op, but haven't gotten over there yet.)

2) Regular grocery store for meats (I know! Working on local grassfed farmer just have to get past the holidays to have the extra $), cheaper veggies, raw nuts, greek yogurt, Omega 3 eggs.

3) Trader Joes for Dried fruit bars, dark chocolate, wine, whatever produce looks yummy, raw nuts, grassfed beef, Kerrygold butter, fancy cheeses

4) Health Food Store for coconut milk, coconut oil, almond butter, almond/coconut flour

5) Costco occasionally, but I never need such high quantities of most of this stuff!

Whew, I'm not the only one with multiple shopping lists! I live over an hour from TJs and WF, so I try to go up there every month or 2 to stock up on butter and stuff.

1. Trader Joes- almond meal, almond milk, almond butter, kerrygold, seasonings, olive oil
2. Local farm- eggs, butter, cheese, seasonal produce
3. vermontgrassfedbeef.com- beef, pork, leaf lard
4. amazon.com- coconut oil, honeyville almond flour, supplements
5. Whole Foods- grassfed milk & cream, a few larabars, anything else I can't source cheaply anywhere else
6. BJs- haddock, brussels sprouts, bacon, duck, some produce
7. Giant- other/ stuff I need in a hurry, Australian lamb, organic coconut milk

In London (England, UK).

• Options are affected by:
  • use public transport so limited places to go (West Ealing in west London)
  • many shops close early
  • can not take fresh food deliveries at my flat (apartment)
  • no bulk buying of meat due to small fridge/freezer

1. Farmer's market (Ealing):
   • odd bits: whatever organs and bones they have (not guaranteed to have any)
   • pork hock: to make quick, gelatine rich pressure cooker stock
   • eggs: in crates
   • veg: whatever is in season (right now in spring it's leeks, curly kale of various colors, purple sprouting, purple broccoli, garlic, onions, spring greens)
2. Friend at work
   • honey: gathered from bees in her allotment in Hanwell, very close to me.
3. Regular grocery store: Sainsbury's and Waitrose normally. Tesco, LIDL and M&S sometimes.
   • Butter: The joy of living in Europe! Fluctuate between 5 or so different butters. Those sourced from Guernsey and Jersey cows are my favorite, which are thankfully high in A2.
   • Pâté and liver mousse: M&S has a good chicken liver pâté (K2!) and Waitrose often reduces it's mousse de canard.
     • Make my own now from lamb, chicken, or venison livers
   • Meat: mostly lamb (belly, shoulder, liver), some beef (ox cheek when in season. OMG its good). Lots of tallow as a by-product of cooking the fatty lamb.
   • Fresh Fish: when reduced (on clearance) or really want some
   • Tinned Fish: mackerel or sardines in spring water
   • Veg: Staples: zucchini (named courgettes in UK), onions, garlic, ginger, sweet potato, ...
   • Coconut cream: Patak's brand at Tesco has "Coconut" as it's only ingredient (but labeling here is poor). Box comes with 4x50g sachets. Pre-packaged trail food! :)
   • Cheese and double or clotted cream: Not a staple anymore, but still yum.
   • Eggs: For the longest food label competition: Waitrose Intelligent Eating Omega 3 DHA Rich Free Range Eggs
   • Misc: Vinegars, Thai Taste Curry Paste (no preservatives), Tea
4. TRAN Oriental Supermarket: Wouldn't call this a supermarket as it's just larger than my tiny bedroom. But she has a good selection of Thai and Malaysian items.
   • Coconut milk: Aroy-D, preservative free in 1L paper cartons.
   • Misc: tamari, fish sauce, small dried shrimp, random other items
5. Iranian/Mediterranean/Indian shops: large populations in this area.
   • Spices
   • Veg: if something looks interesting when passing. Like real and big yams.
   • coconut oil (not virgin)
6. Polski skleps:
   • Sausage: For hiking/rambling and scrambling.
   • Twarog: A white cheese
   • Kefir: Sometimes. And this isn't fancy expensive health labelled kefir. It's what the Polish have been drinking for centuries. The front of the label just says "kefir". Though most use milk powder which is no good :(
7. amazon.co.uk
   • Coconut oil (virgin): Nutiva, Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, 54 oz (1532 g)
8. As Nature Intended or Holland&Barrett:
   • Coconut oil: 1st is overpriced, and I don't trust the second.
9. myprotein.co.uk:
   • Zinc and Magnesium and sometimes creatine and BCAA when experimenting with training.
10. iherb.com (US): Must be less than $26 to avoid UK import fees. Flat-rate $4 shipping is great.
    • Any other supplements

• Need good sources for:
  • Soup/stock bones: None of my stores have them.
  • Coconut oil: As Nature Intended is overpriced, and H&B labeling isn't clear.
    • see Amazon.co.uk sources above.
  • Supplements: UK is way behind here.

1. farm- grass fed beef and pork
2. Poultry Co-op- pastured chicken, raw milk
3. Natural foods coop- coconut flour, nuts, bulk spices, chocolate
4. Kroger- g/f bread (for the kid), veg/fruit, raw cheese, raw honey
5. Asian market- condiments and veg
6. Hispanic market- spices, fruits, sardines in tomato or hot sauce
7. Farmers market- veg, fruits, meat when its open

1. Whole Foods for cream without additives; bacon without unnecessary preservatives; liver; ginger kombucha (because I'm a pregnant lady and desperately miss my evening beverage); Kerrygold and nice cheese (regular store has these, but it's 50% less expensive at Whole Paycheck for some reason); gluten-free, low-preservative condiments like soy sauce, pickles, mustard, and stock when I'm out of chicken bones are much easier to find; frozen berries are better quality than other stores in the area; fancy mushrooms and other gourmet-ish items; mineral water; Carlson's CLO and D3 drops; Grass-fed milk if I really need it. Fish is generally better here too.

2. Regular store for pretty much everything else, mainly meats, veggies, the occasional canned tomatoes or coconut milk, bottled water since the local wells have been linked to leukemia (!).

My local farm and farmers market

Wegman's

I used to go to a bunch of places, but I just had to ask myself is my time worth it and the answer for me was no. I'll spend the extra 10-15 for an extra hour or so of time with my family.

Farmers Market/Local Farmer for as much as is available.

Trader Joes/Dekalb Farmers Market(an international grocery)

Super H Mart (korean grocery)

Sams/Costco.

then Kroger to round out anything I couldnt get.

sometimes I stop with the market. most weeks I visit them all because its fun.

Costco - cheap (mostly) grass-fed ground beef. And someone told me they have ghee - can't wait.

Trader Joe's - raw cheese, nuts, veggies, organic coffee, frozen wild blueberries

Whole (paycheck) Foods - grass fed beef liver, org veggies & fruit, cream.

Iherb - supplements (D, K, fish/krill/cod liver oil, multi, etc.)

Safeway/Giant - grain fed crap and stuff for non-paleos (rest of family)

Pet Sage - semi-paleo cat food and kitty litter

Henry's - Produce, raw dairy

Whole Foods - Grass-fed organ meats, raw cheese, young coconuts, butter

Farmer's Market - Produce

Website to farm - Pastured meats

Whole Foods for just about everything. Also, a local dropoff for raw dairy, pastured eggs, and grassfed beef if I don't have enough.

The dropoff adds a lot of time unfortunately, but I don't handle pasteurized dairy, even cream, well.

I haven't been in to a "regular" grocery store since I went Paleo - it's been at least 6 months.

I do all my shopping at the farmers market. It goes year-round and I'm lucky enough to work at the market so I can work and shop at the same time.

I'll very occasionally go to the health food store for some coconut products, but that's about it.

I feel pretty lucky to be able to get all my food this way - the thought of regular supermarkets now kind of terrifies me. So much stuff and so little of it that's actually food!

I predominately shop at Wegman's and Trader Joe's. I tend to get certain things at one and the rest at the other. Trader Joe's tends to have better prices, but Wegman's has the variety I sometimes need.

Wegman's - grass fed beef, organic veggies and fruit, So Delicious unsweetened coconut milk, occasionally fresh fish, ghee, pre-cooked whole chicken, natural dog food

Trader Joe's - organic eggs, frozen seafood, veggies and fruit, mint tea, grass fed meat, uncured bacon, raw cashews, wine, fresh herbs

I avoid Whole Foods because it is so ridiculously overpriced.

I buy my coconut oil by the tub online from Nutiva.

I discovered coconut flour a few months ago, went a little paleo baker crazy, and have since avoided it. But I bought it online from Amazon (Aloha Nu).

I get my fish oil and D at Vitamin Shoppe.

I can't wait for Spring when the local Farmer's Market opens. I've never been, but I'm looking forward to taking advantage of the fresh stuff next year.

In any given week I may shop at one, some or all of the following stores: local Hannaford grocery store, Trader Joes, Whole Foods, farmers market, Asian market, specialty gourmet shop, Dollar Tree, fish market, and butcher shop. There are certain items that I will only buy at a specific store (for example nut butters at Trader Joes or kipper snacks at the dollar store because they are so much cheaper than anywhere else), but for the most part I am very flexible based on ever changing needs, money, time and weather.

I walk everywhere so that limits my choices and how much I can pick up at any given time. It is great exercise, but sometimes it is a huge pain in the ass when time is limited or the weather is inclement.

Also, due to both people in our home being either un- or severely underemployed, my budget is super tight, sometimes relying almost entirely on our monthly food stamp allowance. This definitely guides my decisions on where to shop and what to buy. For instance I can't buy as much at farmer's markets or from farmers as I would like because they don't accept SNAP. I also can't get much grass fed meat or many pastured eggs and instead have to go for conventional stuff most of the time.

Heh, I'm in Ontario, Canada.

I go to: - the local farmer's market for veggies (in season), lamb and fantastic wild boar/red deer sausages.
- I buy beef from a neighbour (1/2 steer this year) - 1/2 pig from another local farmer - my eggs, chicken and turkey are delivered by a local farmer (the eggs every week, the chicken in late summer/fall) - cheese, feta, tzatziki and yogurt from the Skotidakis goat farm 5 minutes down the road. - raw milk and raw cheese is a good 2+ hour drive away. - for other produce on sale and stuff like toilet paper, kleenex, etc I go to Price Chopper.
- coconut oil and teas are from Independent (like Loblaws)
- wine is 5 minutes down the road at the LCBO. - fish, beer and bread (yeah yeah, I know) are from Costco.

great question! it depends on the season, for sure. im in new england and depend a lot on local farms, but we have a short growing season.

1. farm co-op- fruit, veggies, pastured eggs, raw yogurt and cheese, pastured lamb, chicken, pork and turkey shares (i have a freezer in my basement), and pastured pork lard and ghee.

2. hardware store (seriously)- raw honey. someone who works there sells his own honey behind the counter. and i live in a really small town.

3. another public farm- other pastured meat as i need it, some veggies, pickles and some condiments.

4. another public farm- grass-fed and finished beef share (half a cow this year!)

5. local speciality food store- raw cheese and fancy shmancy imported ingredients and condiments

6. seattle spice merchant online for spices and spice blends

7. big supermarket chain for filling in any blank spots- off-season veggies and fruits, coconut oil and milk, olive oil, red mill flours, etc.

8. my basement- im an avid canner and preserver and ive got quarts and quarts of condiments and tomatoes!

9. trader joes- nuts

10. costco- frozen wild salmon fillets and smoked wild salmon at AWESOME prices

11. local dairy farmer for raw milk

12. the docs in the harbor- fresh wild fish! mostly cod, haddock, hake and shrimp.

13. and i forage for my own lobster and clams. and berries in season.

1) Sainsburys (UK) - beef mince, meat joints (or first time today, oxtail), lamb kidneys, liver, vegetables, organic butter, free range woodland eggs, canned wild alaskan salmon, fresh salmon/mackerel/herrings etc, creamed or dessicated coconut, whatever herbs and spices, balsamic vinegar, aged goats cheese on occasion. I used to get my seaweed from here too, but my branch recently stopped selling all but one inferior, expensive sort, so I now get that from an independent health food shop.

2) All supplements (magnesium, sometimes probiotics) from Holland and Barrett, apart from olive oil gelcap vitamin D from iherb. When I bought fish oil I got it from www.healthspan.co.uk

I could also get more interesting/exotic things here if I wanted, but my aim is to cover my health bases with as little cost as possible.

1 Farmer's Market 2 Sandra's Health Food Store 3 Fresh Market

One store, at the moment (doing ZC) : the butcher

I just moved from LA to NYC. I'm still getting my food sources figured out; but here is my current list:

1. Trader Joe's - dried berries, larabars, misc spices and condiments
2. Fresh Direct (online food delivery) - some meat (incl grass-fed), fish, produce, eggs
3. Local Grocers - some meat, produce, eggs
4. US Wellness Meats (online) - liverwurst, beef, bacon, chicken
5. Mountain Rose Herbs (online) - coconut oil
6. Local Farmers Markets - dairy

1. The beef butcher for beef
2. The egg shop for eggs
3. The charcuterie for cured meats, sausages and gourmet treats
4. The olive shop for olives and anchovy filets
5. The cheese monger for cheese
6. The pork butcher for bacon and pork cuts
7. A third butcher for lamb, goat
8. The poultry monger for poultry meat
9. The wild foods butcher for rabbit, duck fat and foie gras
10. The vegetable seller for vegetables,
11. The fruit seller for fruit
12. The bodega for wine and alcohol
13. The fish monger for fish
14. The seafood monger for all non fish fresh sea products
15. The supermarket for basic condiments
16. The Indian market for spices
17. The Asian market for rice pastas, coconut proucts and asian condiments

Luckily, all of these places are either housed within the market 50 meters from my front door or within 5 minutes walking

I'm a lucky son of a bitch, I know :)

I do not like supporting large corporations and never go to conventional grocery stores. I have never been to a S___ Club (yuck, Wal-Mart) or to CostCrap, and it sounds like hell on earth.

And yes, I am on a budget, but food is a priority over uneccessary gadgets or cars, and I want my money to support small farms and businesses, so when I buy food it's not the cheapest in town (nor should it be).

Our fridge is tiny (by choice) so I do frequent shopping trips on my bike. :)

My food sources:

~Garden (produce, eggs from our chickens and ducks, and soon meat from our chickens)

~Neighbors'/friends' gardens

~Farmer's markets

~Co-ops

~Small neighborhood store that carries local pastured meats (yay!)

~A huntress that works with my sister (for some great venison)

~Dumpsters! The aforementioned small neighborhood store throws out tons of dairy products the very minute they've passed their expiry dates. In the winter it freezes in the dumpster and is still very fresh. I always grab lots of cream. Perfect for making yogurt and churning butter.

I get nearly everything at New Seasons except for frozen wild salmon and shrimp from Trader Joe's.

If you have it available in your area like we do in Seattle, check out fresh.amazon.com -- home grocery delivery at good prices, plus they have a great selection of meats, poultry and vegetables. I still end up going to the butcher for the meat, but will also generally buy some from Amazon (like frozen chicken breast in bulk). For all my spices, I go to the insanely awesome (and cheap) MySpiceSage.com -- best place ever. I'm now addicted to buying spices -- who knew that was possible!!

So Cal OC area here.

1. Mediterranean Supermarket Veggies & fruits from Clean Fifteen broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, cauliflower, mushrooms, bananas, oranges, lemons etc Halal meat (chicken/beef/Australian lamb) Spices and herbs

2. Asian supermarket All kinds of Chinese veggies like bokchoy, lotus roots, non additive coconut milk, fish

3. TJ/Sprouts/Henry's Market - rarely Kerrygold butter, grass fed beef, fage full fat greek yogurt

4. Costco - very rare Whole bag of organic carrots, rotisserie chicken when in a pinch, organic spring mix tub

5. Farmer's Market - seasonal Strawberries, kales, berries

I'm lazy (well I just hate shopping and doing errands), and pay for convenience a little. Veggies, eggs, cream, etc all come from Whole Foods. Grassfed meat all comes from US Wellness meats. That's it. One grocery store, one online order.

• -Trader Joes (for meats and some organic specialty items)
• -Food Lion (general super market, produce and some name brand items)
• -Four Seasons Oriental Market (specialty imported foods)

Whole Foods- grass fed beef (ground, NY strip and Flank), coconut water, avocados, dark chocolate, coconut milk, eggs, wild canned salmon.

Nutrition S'Mart- Raw Milk

Rollin' Oats- All organic produce! Oriental potato, bag of apples, kale, spinach, mushrooms, onions, berries, cantelope, pineapple, garlic, ginger.

Publix- Applegate bacon, deli turkey, hot dogs, Murray's chicken breasts and whole chicken.

Fresh Market- Wild Alaskan Salmon

Sometimes 6 for me.

There's definitely a market for an Earth Fare type chain that brings food in within each state or county.

I think we're heading in that direction.

Farmer's markets are slammed.

Potential financiers are watching.

Just a matter of time.