I know what you mean about gas prices. It's hard to go anywhere further then down the block, nowadays.
What I do is keep an on-going list of specialty items. Then we do a round robin in Lexington, visiting all the stores we need to. That might range from Fresh Mart, to an Indian shop, to the farmer's market, to Bed Bath & Beyond. Sometimes we hit as many as 7 or 8 different places, stocking up on stuff that's just not available in Richmond---which is almost everything.
We also joined Sam's Club, and that's a big help. The savings I realize on foodstuffs and other items more than makes up for the gas it costs getting there. For instance, a large bag (2 lb) of tail on raw shrimp is only 12 bucks, compared to as much as $15/lb locally. Last time I bough pork loins there they were like $2.85. Etc.
Working it like that, the gas cost sort of gets swallowed up. I would never consider driving to Lexington for just one or two items, though. Not like the old days, that's for sure.
"I found garam masala there but neither carry sundried tomatoes in olive oil "
Maybe I'm a snob? But I much prefer blending spice mixes, like garam masala, for myself. I know exactly what's going into them, that way. And I know the mix hasn't been sitting around on a shelf for several years.
I do the same with a lot of specialty items, such as sun dried tomatoes. I dry my own, and, if I need them in oil, put them up with some chopped basil and EVOO.
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