I recently found out about this awesome little online program Abe's Market does where they offer a rotating variety of eco-friendly, vegan, organic and/or gluten-free foods and personal care products for just $2.00!

Their Try for $2 page seems to have at least a few new items every day. I started out just ordering a few things to try out -- since I love the idea of buying smaller versions or individual servings before shelling out a higher price for a full-size package that I might not like.

However, it just hit me yesterday that these make great organic, eco, vegan stocking stuffers!

For example, today they had organic lip balm and non-toxic nail polish, both of which I would be happy to find in my stocking.

I've also seen chocolate candy bars, teas, lotion and lots of different snacks.

To make this sweet deal even sweeter, shipping is free!

If you are on the lookout for stocking stuffers -- or just want to cheaply try out some new products -- click the image above or below to go directly to the Abe's Market Try for $2 page!

Here is another article I originally wrote for a different site when I was living in Wilmington a few years ago...

Vegan and vegetarian grocery shopping in Wilmington, North Carolina is much easier than one might think.

Coming from a major city in the vegan-friendly Pacific Northwest, I was concerned about the challenges I might face when attempting to find vegan and vegetarian groceries in a smaller Southern town. To my surprise, with just a bit of research I was able to find everything I need right here in Wilmington. From Vegenaise to Smart Dogs to Tofurkey, you can find everything you need without having to drive hours away for our nearest Whole Foods.

Here are a few of the best places in Wilmington to fill up your vegan or vegetarian kitchen with everything you need.

Tidal Creek Food Co-op   www.tidalcreek.coop

5329 Oleander Drive - 910.799.2667

Hours: Daily, 8:00am to 9:00pm

Tidal Creek is perhaps the most popular place in town for organic, all natural, vegan/vegetarian and healthy groceries. Dedicated to providing GMO- and hydrogenated oil-free products and focused on purchasing from small, local growers and ethically-minded companies, this is a great one-stop shop for just about all of your natural foods shopping – with lots of vegetarian and vegan options.

Tidal Creek has a great bulk foods section where you can stock up on beans, rice, flours, candy, nuts, snack foods, peanut butter and more and has a certified organic produce section. They also offer a salad bar, sandwiches and wraps for quick meals on the go with plenty of vegetarian and vegan items to choose from.

An added bonus with Tidal Creek is the opportunity to join the Co-op and support the community, while receiving discounts on special Owner Appreciation Days and an owner’s only savings shopping list. 

Check out their website for a calendar of in-store classes and events and a wellness directory listing local practitioners and resources for everything from holistic healthcare providers to natural living products.

Lovey’s Natural Foods & Café   Loveysmarket.com

1319 Military Cutoff Road, Suite H (Landfall Shopping Center) - 910.509.0331

Hours: Monday through Friday - 9am-7pm

            Saturday – 9am-6pm

            Sunday – 11am-5pm

Aside from having a great market full of vegan and vegetarian grocery options, lots of options for buying pantry goods in bulk, a juice bar and a hot and cold food bar with café seating, Lovey’s website is a wonderful resource for everything from recipes to health information.

In a single visit to their website you can use a number of health calculators, research specific health conditions, learn about herbs and supplements and research alternative therapies.  After determining your ideal weight, your body mass index, estimated calories burned and your target heart rate, you can also take a number of health assessments and get some great recipes with an entire section devoted to vegetarian dishes. There are several vegan options and the vegetarian recipes can be easily adapted to meet the needs of vegans as well.

While you are there, also check out their calendar for in-store events and classes.




The Fresh Market     thefreshmarket.com

1060 International Drive – 910.256.3524

Hours: Monday through Saturday – 9am-9pm

            Sunday – 10am-8pm

The Fresh Market has a great produce section, but also offers many other options for the vegan or vegetarian panty, including specialty items, pastas and sauces, rice, beans, baking mixes, coffee and much more.

They also offer in-store classes and events and have tons of recipes on their website. While most of the recipes are not vegan, there are plenty of vegetarian options that can be customized for vegans as well.

Riverfront Farmer’s Market   http://www.wilmingtonfarmers.com/

North Water Street (on the Wilmington Riverfront)

Hours: Saturday 8am-1:00pm (April through November)

The Riverfront Farmer’s Market is a great place to find in-season vegetables and fruits, eggs and cheese (for the non-vegans), nuts, herbs, berries, jams and jellies and a number of other locally harvested items. Convenient parking is available (follow the signs) and this is a great way to spend a Saturday morning!



Now that natural living and vegan and/or vegetarian diets have become increasingly more popular, most larger chain stores are also stocking their shelves with more options. The following stores now carry many of the more common items that are vegan or vegetarian, with the added bonus of also carrying organics. Some of the items that can be found at these grocers include products by Lightlife, Boca burger, Smart Life and Morningstar.

Check out their websites for locations and hours of operation for the store nearest you.

Lowes Foods   www.lowesfoods.com

Harris Teeter  www.harristeeter.com

Food lion   www.foodlion.com

For those items that you just can’t find at our local stores, online resources for vegans and vegetarians are plentiful and convenient. There are lots of options online and a simple search will provide pages of resources, but here are a few of the online stores I patronize to get you started:

Cosmo’s Vegan Shoppe  http://www.cosmosveganshoppe.com

Vegan Essentials  veganessentials.com

The Vegetarian Site   thevegetariansite.com

Food Fight!   foodfightgrocery.com

Sure, wine is mostly grapes with a bit of yeast and some sulfites thrown in, but did you know that the winemaking process also includes something called finings, which are most often made from fish, shrimp, ground up tendons and even blood? For most wine drinkers, this may not be an issue, but for the vegan or vegetarian consumer, this is a big no-no.

Finings are substances used during the wine production process to remove particles and improve clarity and flavor. The finings do not remain in the wine, so you aren’t actually consuming them, but if an animal product is used in the production of a product, then that product is not suitable for vegans or other folks interested in purchasing cruelty-free products.

Most winemakers use animal-derived finings and they do not have to put this information on the label. Therefore, you need to consult a vegan wine guide vegans.frommars.org/wine/  before you go wine shopping, since you won’t be able to determine which is suitable for you once you are at the store. You can always ask the clerk, but in my experience, more often than not, they have no idea – unless, of course you are in Whole Foods Market or a natural foods store. 

First, for a better understanding, let’s look at the most common non-vegan finings used in wine production.

Isinglass – a gelatinous substance made from the swim bladders of fish (mainly sturgeon and cod)

Chitosan – a fibrous substance made from grinding up the shells of shrimp (and other crustaceans)

Casein – a milk protein

Gelatin – a substance made for the collagen found in the connective tissues (like tendons) of animals

Egg Albumen – the clear part of an egg that turns white when cooked

Animal albumen/dried blood – animal blood, usually bull blood (this one is not allowed in France or the U.S.A.).

There are vegan alternatives to the above animal products, such as bentonite, which is a natural clay powder. And, fortunately, there is a long list of winemakers that do offer vegan and vegetarian wines. Some of them are a bit tougher to find, but popular, easy-to-find vintners - like Yellow Tail from Australia - can be found in most places that sell wine. (Yellow Tail’s red wines are vegan, but their white wines are not, so keep that in mind.) 

Here are some other options for finding vegan wines:

Vegans are from Mars has a great, printable Pocket Vegan Wine Guide that you can take to the store with you.

Visit Vegan Connection www.veganconnection.com/veganwine.htm for a Vegan Wine Guide and online retailers.

Taste Better! has a wine guide listing companies as vegan friendly or not vegan friendly

Some grocery stores, such as Safeway offer a variety of vegan wines.

Whole Foods Market has a great wine selection, some of which are suitable for vegans. Try The Organic Wine Works wines, which will say right on the label if it is vegan.

The Organic Wine Company has a wide variety of vegan wines ranging in price from $9.99 to $49.99.

And, a quick note on champagne – popular brands Dom Perignon and Moet & Chandon are both vegan and are sold anywhere that champagne is sold.

Green your shopping routine with these reusable produce bags, which double as nut milk bags for making your own soy milk or almond milk!

Save 50% on these Me & You reusable produce bags, and get six of them now for just $12.99 (plus shipping) over at ethicalDeal!

Save 40% on vegan, organic hair products from Druide, plus get $4.99 flat-rate shipping!

You can get $30 worth of Druide hair products for just $18 with this voucher from ethicalDeal.

There is a limit of one voucher per person, and the voucher is good through January 31, 2014.

Save more than 50% on these super-cute, eco-friendly playhouses by This Little Piggy right now at ethicalDeal!

Get yours for just $37, which includes shipping!

You can choose from two colors, and then customize your playhouse with crayons or craft paint.

They are 100% recyclable and easy to assemble as well!

Head over to ethicalDeal to get this deal now!

Green Living Everyday is a great place to find fair trade Christmas ornaments, eco-friendly wreaths and holiday decor, eco gifts, organic baby products and sustainable goods for your home (they even have the world's first solar light bulb!).

Here are some of the deals they are running during the month of December:

Buy four natural soap bars, get one free!

10% Off Sustainable Wood Block Sets

Free Shipping on orders $75+

Take an Additional 15% off Eco Friendly Gift Wrapping & Gift Boxes

Save 15% On Our Full Line of Personal Solar Chargers

$5 Off Engage Green Backpack

10% Off H20 Powered Clock

15% Off Recycled Wine Bottle Tumblers

To get in on these deals, head over to Green Living Everyday before the sales go away!

You can also check out their daily deals here:

In a pinch for holiday gifts that fit your budget?

Check out these previous CVC posts for tons of easy, cheap, DIY gifts you can make at home!

57 Uses for Canning Jars in Your Home, Garden, Garage, Craft Room and More

Get Your Glow On with This DIY, Super Easy, Vegan Salt Scrub

How to Make Vegan Bath Salts: 5 Vegan Bath Salts Recipes

Four All-Natural, Easy, Cheap DIY Bath & Baby Powder Recipes

How to Make Homemade Vanilla Extract

Easy Vegan Vanilla Sugar Recipe (Vanille-Zucker Recipe)