Breaking Up With Amazon, for Vegan Foodies

You don't need Amazon (or Whole Foods!) I promise

1. These vegan and gluten-free, high-protein baked goods are truly so good we’ve been talking for days in my house about how they possibly pulled it off. I’m well aquainted (and highly icked out by) the trademark chalky protein taste so many protein bars and treats have, and these have…zero of that. SOld in a variety of flavors (we ordered the multi pack), they actually taste just like the basic vanilla layer cake I always make.

2. This cheesy pizza-y bean dish is everything. Suggested by the always reliable Cup of Jo, and published by the always delicious Smitten Kitchen, I tried veganizing them week by using Trader Joe’s shredded parm (one of my must-haves from TJ’s!), plus half a block of crumbled tempeh and mannn. Eat with crusty sourdough. This will be an instant classic in our house.

3. Bloom is the latest obsession round here. I’m not an energy drink girlie per say, but lately I’ve been needing a constant stream of little treats to make it through these trying times, and these are just so delish. They don’t taste artificial and icky, cause as far as energy drinks go, they aren’t. They also contain a very impressive 100% of B12 and B6 which is kinda great! I love the peach mango flavor and nurse one for the whole day, and never feel crazy like other big brand drinks absolutely make me feel.

I know, I know, everyone’s writing about this right now. Hopefully because everyone’s doing it right now. Which I love for us.

I’ve been trying to break up with Amazon as well, as part of my overall commitment to buying much less this year — even cutting back on my beloved thrifting. And it’s one thing when you’re in a big city or even a normal sized town, but I’ll admit my reliance on Amazon went WAY UP when we moved to a very rural mountain town, pop. 2000. We only have a Walmart — no Target (wouldn’t be shopping there anymore, regardless, so!), and a CVS and Walgreens. When I need a vitamin or air filter or cat toy, I’ve gotten really in the habit of just Amazon-ing it. It is easier — I won’t deny it.

But the easy thing isn’t always the right thing, and even if you live in a town as tiny as I do, it is indeed possible to if not completely break up with Amazon, to way reduce your reliance on it.

Here are some tips, sites, and tricks that have been really helping me, as someone who just went through all my bank transactions for 2024 and was pretty horrified just how much of my money went to Jeff Bezos…

1. Take it slow and be realistic

   I think with this goal and so many others (like going vegan!) people tend to be all or nothing. You don’t have to radically overhaul your entire life or spending habits. Why not just set a goal to cut way back on Amazon?

   This might look like only allowing one order per month, or having 1-2 items total you get from there — when you truly can’t find them elsewhere. I think starting slow and being gentle with yourself is always the move! Please don’t fall into the cop out/trap of “slipping up,” ordering something from Amazon, and then using that “fail” as an excuse to throw in the towel and give up altogether.

   Little changes do add up in a big way, especially if we’re all making them.

2. Know your local replacements

   Alright, this is where the real work is. We need to find alternative places to shop from. They may not always be quite as cheap, and you may have to wait longer for delivery times. That is just the reality. We’ve gotten spoiled by deceptively cheap goods that come with massive hidden costs, for the planet and our communities.
   
   I suggest looking at your recent purchases on Amazon to really take stock of the things you’re ordering all the time from there — like perhaps that’s air filter replacements, preworkout powder, vitamin D3, and a shampoo and conditioner that changed your hair — to use me as an example. Get to Googling to find places you can order each of them, instead. Like, I can get the air filters at my local Lowes, the preworkout straight from the site of the brand that makes it, the D3 from Trader Joe’s (for cheaper, too), or from my local pharmacy, and that specific shampoo and conditioner from iherb.com. Great! Now we’re getting somewhere. Even better, is if you can find a local pet store to get your cat food from, and maybe even a local grocery you didn’t even know about, to get your vegan protein bars, for example.

3. Delete the Amazon app from your phone

   It’s so easy and tempting to order things with a click or two, and especially when it’s right on the homepage of your phone. To add a little resistance and help you kick the autopilot habit, I suggest deleting the app from your phone, so you have to take the extra steps to pull it up on your computer. Hopefully in doing so, you’ll mindlessly buy less often, and use your newfound alternatives, instead.

4. Bookmark these awesome sites

   Ok, now that we’ve laid some groundwork steps, here are some real godsends of sites and stores that I’ve found in recent weeks as I’ve tried to buy things from other sites, but also not have to pay individual shipping for every single online order. Buying multiple items but paying no shipping and getting them all at once is one of the major perks of Amazon, for me, I’ve realized. It’s a drag to pay for shipping from individual sites if you don’t have to. Which, sometimes you just will. But these are a few sites that have helped me find things I need at Amazon-comparable prices and where get everything I need in one fell swoop.

• For vitamins and personal care stuff (like moisturizers, face washes, makeup, all sorts of former Amazon purchases) I am loving iherb.com. It has so many of my fave brands!

• For even more niche supplements, and guaranteed high quality (a whole ‘nother post topic), you can’t beat fullscript.com. My woo-woo nutritionist, and every woo-woo type I know suggests this site. My understanding is, any supp sold here is test and regulated a bit more than the wild west of ordering supps from Amazon or any old store, so you can rest assured they’re actually what they say they are, etc.

• And if you can’t find certain brands of vitamins or supps at the above two sites, check vitacost.com, which carries lots more!

• For clean, cruelty-free beauty, I am really loving credo.com. Not only do they carry brands I love and can’t find elsewhere, like Axiology, my holy grail, they have introduced me to new brands, and have some really great sales, like ones on Tower28 goodies right now!

• For all other beauty, makeup, hair care, we love ulta.com, of course. Sephora is out, Ulta is in! It’s simple.

• For those bougie better-for-you grocery items, you can’t beat thrive.com. I’ve used it intermittently over the years, and it really is great for items you can’t find at your local grocery store. They make it easy to shop by dietary style and run pretty nice sales all the time. Their customer service is also really top notch, for what it’s worth.

• For all pet stuff, chewy.com. Literally half my paycheck I swear goes straight here every month. They’re a great company and literally send birthday cards to your animals on their birthdays! Amazon could never!

What stores did I leave out? Drop a comment with the Amazon alternatives that are helping you break up with the evil behemoth! Thanks as always for reading, and voting with your dollar <3

-Emmy