First off I really need to commend you for your thinking this thru. When I became vegan it was not all at once and I just sort gradually and incrementally changed my buying habits. There is a lot to be said for having a plan
I've had a similar discussion with another newbie here at the Vegan Forum. And I feel bad dissuading someone from shopping at All Vegan stores. I can readily see the point - why give our cash to an entity that is making a profit on animal cruelty? However, my point is that nowadays it is all interconnected now.
Take for instance Method, which is where I buy my soap. They make a great product and check all my boxes but they got bought out by Univler. and they own subsidies that do test on animals. Or Silk. Silk only makes non dairy stuff. But they got bought out by Daone who owns a lot of dairys and makes a lot of cow's milk products. Gardein is owned by Conagra - they also own Slim Jims. Annie's was bought by General Mills,. You can't go to Burger King and get an Impossible burger because Burger King buys and sells beef. The grocer you buy your apples at also sells chickens.
It's sort of slippery slope. Its very hard to decide where to draw the line.
Speaking just for myself, but in this case I think I'm sort of mainstream, I draw the line with the product itself. If the product is vegan then I buy it. This is more powered by practicality than ethics. I justify it by remembering that even the definition of the word vegan includes the word "practical".
At the bottom I have included a link to super list of al the things a vegan may eventually need in their pantry.
The vast majority of these things can be found at the local grocery store. For the rest it might be worth driving to a big store once in a while and stocking up*. Plant milks can be purchased in cases of redipacs that can be stored in the garage or wherever. Tofu can be frozen. And a lot of the other things can live in the frig or pantry for a month or more.
So that leaves just a small number of products to order online.
Vegan Pantry Staples & Basics - Wether you're just getting started or already following a vegan diet, this is a helpful guide to get you started and keep you on track with a healthy diet.
simple-veganista.com
* Isn't it sort of normal for small town people to make trips into the big city once in a while and hitting Costco? Just to save money. Costco has a bunch of vegan things.