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Saturday, December 6, 2014

Online Companies We Use

There are many online companies we like to shop with on a fairly regular basis, and we thought we would share them with you. These are companies we have used, continue to use and will use again in the future. Just so you know, we receive no monetary compensation or recognition from any company on this blog, including the ones we are listing in this article. We rarely shop in a store in person, which suits us just fine, thus, the vast majority of our shopping is done online. 


There are many local stores that we do enjoy shopping in, though. A small example would be where I buy my tires is a local mom and pop type store. The folks at the local hardware store know us by name, you know, Jerk and Turn. And, of course, we buy our prescriptions locally. All of our animal feed comes from our very local feed store. There are many other examples where we shop local, but we use the internet for lots of items. 

We have tried to organize these companies into groups, but as you know, groups don't always work out, so a few may appear to be out of place. So here they are, in no particular order.


Gardening


Animal Supplies


Cheese Making



Kitchen & Home Supplies


 Food Storage


 Books


Radio Communications


Farm Supplies


General Retailers for a variety of products

This is not an exhaustive list by any means. These are just some retailers that we feel comfortable and confident using. Many of the names you will recognize right off hand. But, as an example, take Wal-Mart. This store has canning supplies, clothing, outdoor equipment, radio supplies and things you may never really think of. In your process of looking for items, check out some of the unlikely retailers that you don't normally expect to stock what you might need. Don't forget to figure in shipping. Sometimes when you buy from a national chain that has a local outlet, it can be shipped to that store with no extra charges. This saves sharply on freight charges for heavy or oversize items. 

We would like your input now. Please share with all of us the online companies that you use, and will continue to use. It's important for us all to shop and buy from reputable, trusted dealers. So if you feel comfortable recommending a site, or multiple sites, please do so. Because we all like shopping with honest folks. We hope you find this list interesting, helpful and useful. Happy shopping.

 Frank & Fern
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16 comments:

  1. AnonymousDecember 6, 2014 at 7:58 PM

    I like Duluth trading. However I have moved to LLBean. After it wears out they will gladly replace or repair. T shirts, jackets, and even sunglasses alll get sent back after they start to fail and are replaced within about 2 weeks for free.

    Only issue I have is they do not have heavy duty work pants that I like.

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    1. Frank and FernDecember 7, 2014 at 10:56 PM

      Hello. I did not know that about L.L. Bean. Back in my professional life, I bought lots of my clothes from them and from Lands End. I enjoyed their look and quality. After I retired, I discovered Duluth and I really enjoy their clothes and undergarments. Thank you for the information about L.L. Bean, I'll look into it.

      Frank

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    2. AnonymousDecember 8, 2014 at 10:59 AM

      I love Irish Eyes Garden Seeds for northern climate gardens, out of Washington... Alaska reader

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    3. Frank and FernDecember 8, 2014 at 8:45 PM

      It's always fun to have an Alaskan reader since we used to live there. We have bought open pollinated corn from Irish Eyes. Thank you for sharing.

      Fern

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    4. AnonymousDecember 9, 2014 at 8:48 AM

      Our kids have the habit of breaking zippers on jackets. I like the fact that LLBean will take them back and replace the zippers rather than just throw the whole thing out and send a new one. They are also known for reparing boots. If the soles wear out they will charge you a fee that is much less than the cost of a new pair of boots. It the seams fail or leak the repair will be for free.

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    5. Frank and FernDecember 9, 2014 at 6:17 PM

      Thank you for sharing this information. It's good for all of us to know. We just may have to give L.L.Bean a try again.

      Fern

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  2. UnknownDecember 6, 2014 at 8:20 PM

    Hi folks, I use most of the same companies. Harbor Freight (they are close) instead of Northern Tools and Home Depot-both instore and online. I also use Honeyville Foods for a lot of storage grains (until I get better at growing my own) with a flat rate of $4.95 for shipping. Jan in NWGA

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    1. Frank and FernDecember 7, 2014 at 11:04 PM

      Hi Jan. Thank you for responding with the information. Honeyville Foods looks like an interesting site, I will give them a better look at a later time. It's always good to have more resources for whole foods.

      You know, I have never been in a Harbor Freight, and we have one only 60 miles from us. But, I have been to their website multiple times and looked around. On occasion I have had heavy items bought from and shipped to True Value Hardware, which is about 30 miles away. It saves a lot on shipping. Maybe someday when I get up the guts, I will go into a Harbor Freight store. I have a buddy that just about lives there, but he likes stores and I don't. Thanks again for the information.

      Frank

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  3. MelonieDecember 6, 2014 at 9:09 PM

    This is a great list - some of these I'm familiar with, some I'll have to go check out in the future. Thanks for the ideas!

    I've picked up things from Pantry Paratus (http://www.pantryparatus.com) and have been quite impressed with their customer service, plus they are a small, family-owned business so our family likes to support their efforts. They'd fall under your kitchen section above.

    For fermentation things, I've learned a lot and had good results with some things from Cultures for Health (http://www.culturesforhealth.com). They'd also go under kitchen or food storage type options.

    Hope those give you a couple more to enjoy checking out! I don't work with either, and those are straight links, not affiliate things; I'm just a satisfied customer of each. :)

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    1. Frank and FernDecember 7, 2014 at 11:19 PM

      Thank you, Melonie. We are familiar with Pantry Paratus, and it is a very interesting site. They also have lots of interesting articles.

      Ahh, Cultures for Health. At this time we have sourdough starter on our counter, and across the room there is kefir culturing. We have used yogurt starter many times over the years. Recently we picked up a new fermentation crock, we make cheese on a regular basis, and we have seeds sprouting on the back lip of the kitchen sink. This site, Cultures for Health, could be very useful in this house.

      By the way, don't put your sourdough starter and kefir culture right next to each other. They don't play well together. We discovered this last year. The kefir culture quit and we believe the sourdough just over powered it. You know, kind of a culture war, and the sourdough won. No joke though, it is advisable to separate the two from each other.

      Thank you for the information.

      Frank

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    2. MelonieDecember 9, 2014 at 9:15 PM

      That is great to know - thank you, Frank! We are trying our hand at sauerkraut now and I had hoped to get some sourdough starter going as well, but wondered if it might "contaminate" the sauerkraut. Probably a good thing I've held off then, from the sound of the sourdough/kefir war!

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    3. Frank and FernDecember 10, 2014 at 7:55 AM

      Let us know how the sauerkraut works out, Melonie. We were just talking about learning how to make some yesterday. As long as we keep the kefir and sourdough on different counters about 8 to 10 feet apart, they do fine. And after I feed my starter again today, it will go back in the frig until I'm ready to bake again. Then maybe we'll try some fermented vegetables. It will be another new adventure we haven't tried before. I would really be curious how your sauerkraut works out. Thank you for sharing.

      Fern

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  4. AnonymousDecember 7, 2014 at 9:23 PM

    Thanks for the iinformation. Check out Lee Valley Tools. Well made garden tools, unique gifts, great books, etc. They also have a hardware department with unique items that I haven't seen anyware else.

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    1. Frank and FernDecember 7, 2014 at 11:10 PM

      Thank you for sharing this information. Lee Valley tools does have some unique tools and very practical old time gardening implements. If you like the woodworking tools from Lee Valley, take a look at Garrett Wade. I enjoy their site and their tools. If you get a chance, give them a look.

      http://www.garrettwade.com/

      Frank

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  5. CarolDecember 8, 2014 at 7:23 PM

    I love Baker Creek for seeds. www.rareseeds.com. They have a great catalog and offer a fabulous variety of seeds.
    We do a lot of natural medicine and www.mountainroseherbs.com is great for that.
    Almost all of our food-related purchases are through food clubs and local coordinated drop-offs.
    We also use a lot of the same sites as you and your commenters.

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    1. Frank and FernDecember 8, 2014 at 8:43 PM

      There are quite a few people that use Baker Creek for seeds, Carol. I have used Mountain Rose occasionally. You have a nice blog. We enjoyed nosing around. Not very many people know how to weave, that is really neat. Thank you for sharing.

      Fern

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