Splurge: San Francisco Herb

San Francisco Herb is a great resource for baking ingredients, herbs, teas, spices and other odds and ends. It's a splurge because they require a $30 minimum order and it throws off my budget for the month. However, I take caution to only buy that which we use on a regular basis and take comfort in the fact that I am getting a great deal.
I've been using SF Herb for nearly ten years and have loved everything I have gotten from them.
I started buying from them as a way to get spices at a low cost. There is a disadvantage to ordering your herbs and spices from them - nearly everything comes in a 1 pound bag. A pound of some herbs is a lifetime amount and tough to go through. Sharing helps (both for amount and for cost) but sometimes the deal is so good that it's worth the waste. I try hard not to waste.
Things I buy from them on a regular basis - cocoa powder (*7.40 a pound), Cinnamon (ground and stick - between $2-3 a pound), essential oils - Eucalyptus (2.70 for 1 oz), Peppermint (6.10 for 1 oz), Spearmint (5.60 for 1 oz) and Rosemary (3.10 for 1 oz).
In the past we purchased their pill making kits and made our own herbal supplements. The cost was low but the work was not cost-effective. We found ordering pre-made supplements from Swanson Herbs gave us better quality for a similar price.
I purchase herbs still from SF Herb to make salves, oils and teas. The quality is not the best for everything but I still find quite a few high quality herbs for low cost. Their essential oils are culinary grade so I can use them for salves and cooking which will be nice when I get to making my own sodas.
I'll be putting in an order over the next few months. One thing to remember is that the cost constantly changes as SF Herb gets in shipments. They strive to provide the best cost and if they can lower the price they will but since they depend on harvests the prices fluxuate. Currently Cardamon is high but as the next harvest comes in the price should drop again.
* prices on 10/05/2011