Ordering Food and Household Goods Online: A Comparision

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Ordering Food and Household Goods Online

It seems like there are so many choices for ordering healthy foods and household goods online now that it’s hard to decide where to order from. While I’ve ordered with a certain coop for many years, with increasing shipping costs and many stock outages, I’ve turned my attention to other online companies since my local selection is very limited.

Over the last few months I’ve ordered from several different online stores for both groceries and household goods and today I’m sharing my experiences so that you can see if any of the companies are a good fit for you.

Thrive Market

New to me is Thrive Market. I’ve heard about them from several friends but hadn’t yet taken the plunge of ordering from them until now. They do charge a yearly membership fee but they offer a 30-day free trial so you can check them out.

I ordered both food and some household goods from Thrive since they have a pretty good selection of both. I needed some lunch items since we have been eating on the go a little more right now. I was happy because they have my very favorite tortilla chips!

My order took 4 business days to arrive after it was shipped. The box was very nicely packed which was good since I had ordered chips. Nothing with crushed or damaged. My order was over $49 so shipping was free.

I feel like Thrive Market‘s prices are very reasonable and comparable to what I’m used to paying from my other coop. I ended up making a second order and paying for the yearly membership because I felt like it was a company that I will order from often. I also love that for every membership purchased, a membership is given to a family that can’t afford one.

Thrive Market also wants to give Little House Living readers a great deal to try them out. If you use this link you can get 20% off and free shipping on your first order (of any amount!).

boxed order

Boxed

I’ve seen Boxed advertised several times on social media sites so I decided to try them out and see what all the fuss was about. This was my first order with them and I ordered a few snacks for hubby and the boys for when we are on the go. I also found the water bottles we use for making sensory toys.

When I created an account on their website I was given free shipping on my first order of any amount. It looks like the regular shipping is free for orders over $49. When I placed my order I was able to choose 2 free samples from a handful of things which was a nice little touch. I got a little popcorn snack and a scrub sponge.

If you’ve ever been to Sam’s Club, I felt like shopping on the Boxed website was similar to being in a Sam’s Club store. They had many of the same items and quantities of items.

My order came in 2 business days after placing. I thought that was pretty good timing. Unfortunately, my items were not in good shape. The box seemed to be in good condition but the boxes on the inside were damaged. Luckily everything was fine.

If you decide to order from Boxed, go through this link to get $15 off your first order of $60 or more. You can also get 2% cash back your purchase at Boxed when you go through Ebates. (To use both discounts you will have to go sign up for Ebates and then come back and click through the Boxed link.)

vitacost order

Vitacost

Vitacost was a familiar company to me. Although I don’t order from them often, I have ordered from them several times before, especially when they have good sales or coupon codes. I know many people who order from Vitacost very often but I can never seem to find much I really *need* there, although they do have a large selection.

For this order from Vitacost, I bought some Vital Proteins Collagen which I use in my morning smoothies, some baking powder, and then I threw in a bag of coconut chips to get to the free shipping because my oldest son loves them. They had a nice coupon code for the collagen when I ordered so it made a good deal.

My order took 3 business days to arrive. It wasn’t as well packed as some of the other orders in this post but everything was fine. Shipping is free on orders over $49.

You can get $5 off your first order from Vitacost when you go through this link. You can also get 3% cash back on your Vitacost order when you go through Ebates. (To use both discounts you will have to go sign up for Ebates and then come back and click through the Vitacost link.)

iherb

iHerb

Out of the 4 companies I’ve mentioned here today, I have the most experience in order from iHerb. I’ve been ordering my vitamins and supplements through them for many years and I like their fast and free shipping on any order over $35.

iHerb offers daily and weekly deals plus you get back 5% of every purchase to use as a credit towards your next order. I really like that added discount.

For this order, I reordered my vitamins and added a few other small things that we use to get up to the free shipping amount. The prices on iHerb are pretty good and they have a good selection. Not as many food items as some of the other companies listed above, but that makes them a good resource for vitamins/supplements.body products. This was my first time ordering any kind of “chip” or similar item from iHerb and I was disappointed to find that the jam was packed on top of the apples…they are pretty much crumbles. Now I know for next time what not to order!

iHerb offers 5% off your first order when you use the coupon code WELCOME5. Click here to visit their website.

I hope that this gives you a little perspective into ordering foods and household goods online if it’s something that you’ve been thinking about. If you’ve ever ordered from these companies (or any others!) I would love to get your thoughts and feedback in the comments section!

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12 Comments

  1. I used to use iherb a lot. But, have switched to lucky vitamin. Better selections, and a lot of the prices are better. I have a customer who comes to the farm. She uses thrive. If you are an educator or military ( she’s a fitness instructor) or stuff, then you don’t have to pay membership fees. My sister loves vita cost, I still have yet to try them.

  2. I am sure the jam being packed on top of the apples did not help, but I purchase these apples at my local Whole Foods, and they come in very small pieces. I like them that way, but I have never seen them come in whole or half apple slices.

    1. Oh I’ve never seen them whole either, we’ve purchased them before 🙂 These are more like dust….might make a good ice cream topping!

  3. I hadn’t ever considered buying food and household items online… until now. Thank you for the reviews. I will be looking at these and other online stores very soon.

  4. I have now placed three orders through Thrive Market. I really love that the prices are up to 50% off of retail, and everything is non-GMO. I also live in a very rural area, and in order to buy the same items normally would mean at least an hour drive, and maybe spending more in the end. Or at the very least, if I can even find the item near here, spending a dollar or two more for the same thing.

    I have also ordered from Vitacost in the past. I had really liked them for ordering vitamins, but they just didn’t impress me with the food selection like Thrive. But while Thrive’s selection of the vitamins I order is a little different as far as varieties ordered, the price is WAY BETTER! We can actually buy the same size of the Rainbow Light Women’s Vitamins I like for $8.50 cheaper at Thrive right now (I just checked), and usually they throw a free gift in your box if the order is over $59 (free shipping for over $49).

    We also appreciate the Thrive Gives program, and the free membership for low-income families. We are actually a recipient this year, but I hope to pay it forward with a paid subscription in the future. They also offer an option for you to pay it forward in giving a little extra in order for them to offer food/product credit to families in need. We were also offered a gift from that. Thank you Thrive for your generosity and for helping me keep my family healthy and GMO-free/chemical cleaner-free !!!

  5. I was delighted to read about which companies you get your health food/household items from on line. I have a few I use that I find are quite good.
    Rose Mountain Herbs.com (lots of organic ingredients from loose teas blends, food seasonings, making my own cosmetics, tinctures, medicines, glass bottles, books, essential oils and bulk ingredients and more, everything for my needs. prices are affordable and they even have monthly specials.

  6. Timing of this post was PERFECT for me, as I’ll be moving from Las Vegas, Nevada, where everything is available 24/7, to a rural area very soon. I want to begin exploring alternatives to Prime Pantry, as it doesn’t always have the best price. And, of course, Prime Now will no longer be an option once we’re living rural. I just received my first box from Thrive Market and I am delighted with the pricing and the packaging. Order arrived almost as quickly as a Prime Pantry box, and with your promo link, I got free shipping on an order of only about $20. Will DEFINITELY keep the membership past the trial and place additional orders. Would like to try Boxed next. I was intrigued by your comment about Sam’s Club, as I’m currently a member and will be about an hour from the nearest one once we move. Thanks for putting all these different options out there!

    1. I’m so glad that you found something that may work for you! I know how hard it is to find good foods when you are in the middle of nowhere 🙂