When I was first starting out and experimenting with different recipes, I purchased
Pure Soapmaking by Anne-Marie Failoa and
Simple & Natural Soapmaking by Jan Berry. The one by Jan Berry is full of palm free recipes, and I didn’t find them too expensive to make. It was a fun way to try recipes without having to come up with them on my own.
I, too, purchase my olive and coconut oils from Sam’s Club, which saves me greatly on shipping as I can order in advance and then pick it up. I get my bulk shea butter from Bulk Apothecary, as well as my almond, hemp, and castor oils. If Essential Wholesale is having an awesome sale, I’ll go there. BA has some pretty high shipping rates, but they do ship quickly. It still ends up being cheaper by the ounce (for me) to order from them. I wish there were more bulk shops within driving distance, but meh. I hope this helps.