10 Ways to Pray When the World is Upside Down

This is such an interesting time in our world. To have a common interest with every other human on earth is a strange feeling isn’t it? Whether you’re concerned about how the virus itself may affect you or your family, wary of what opportunities your government might take right now to remove some of your freedoms, or unsure of what the economic ramifications will be for your family , we’re all experiencing some form of uncertainty as a result of this virus.

But the truth is, virus or no virus, the same God who has always been in control is still in control right now. If nothing else, I hope this virus reminds us of that and causes us to turn our hearts to a greater dependence on the Lord.

For me personally, I’ve had to re-evaluate how much time I spend in prayer compared to how much time I spend trying to come up with my own solutions to the world’s problems. (As if that’s going to do any good anyway!)

I hope you’ll join me in praying for our world rather than overthinking everything that’s going on. I’ve collected a list of specific ways you can pray during this pandemic.

1. Pray for government leaders to have wisdom in making decisions for those under their leadership.

I Timothy 2:1-2 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

2. Pray for the health of your loved ones and for the healthcare workers who are caring for the sick.

James 5:14-16 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

3. Pray that the Gospel would be spread to a dying world. 

I Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.

4. Pray for persecuted Christians around the world. Many have been freed from prison as a result of the virus, while others are facing even greater difficulties than they had previously.

Hebrews 13:3 Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.

5. Pray for victims of spousal and child abuse. For many, staying home for weeks on end with an abusive parent or spouse will be psychologically and physically damaging without the reprieve of work or school.

Proverbs 31:8-9  Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.

6. Pray for the emotional needs people will have during times of isolation, especially those who will be cut off from family.

Psalm 147:3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

7. Pray that God would comfort those who have lost loved ones and give peace to those who have ill family members. 

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

8. Pray for God’s provision during a time of economic hardship

Psalm 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

9. Pray for revival in the church. Pray that believers would exhibit unity and love to one another, that our hearts would be alerted to the urgency to spread the gospel, that God would increase our faith in Him.

Ephesians 5:15-19 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.  And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

1o. Pray that God would give you personal opportunities to show His love to others during this time.

Galatians 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Matthew 5:14-16 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

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A Disease Much Worse than Coronavirus

There is a disease that is more deadly than any disease the earth has ever known. It has killed more people than every virus combined, and yet I rarely hear it spoken of. The news media regularly updates the public on the latest Coronavirus statistics, and the virus has become a part of our conversations with friends, family, and strangers at the grocery store. And yet, the most deadly disease of all receives little of our attention.

The symptoms of this disease are varied and horrifying. They include but are not limited to:

• Hatred of other people, even to the point of murder
• The desire to lie, steal, and commit adultery
• Children infected with this disease may bully other children, lie to their parents, and display rebelliousness toward their parents’ instruction.

Some people display extremely mild symptoms, which makes it easy to ignore this disease. But if left untreated, everyone affected, no matter how mild their symptoms appear to be, will die.

Every human on earth is infected with this disease. It is passed from the parents to every child ever born, and it has been this way since the birth of the first children on earth.

Many treatment options have been tried, but all fail except for one. The mortality rate of this disease, no matter what treatment is applied, is 100%. But when the one successful treatment is applied, 100% of those who receive it not only live, but they live forever.

I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that the disease I’m referring to is sin. We are all infected with it. (1)  It causes all manner of death and destruction here on earth, and for those who do not receive the only Cure, it results in eternal death. (2)

Many do not pay any heed to the seriousness of this disease because they do not seem to be affected in such terrible ways as others. They have never been driven to murder, steal, or commit adultery, and so they fail to recognize that even the less obvious symptoms like pride, covetousness, or using God’s name in vain are still sin and still will result in eternal death. (3)

Many try to cure this disease themselves by “turning over a new leaf,” by spending time with others who have been cured and assuming the cure will apply to them too, or by assuming that their symptoms have not been bad enough to warrant death. (4)

But the truth is that there is only one cure for this disease, and that is to be cleansed from its filthiness. Complete cleansing only comes when one is washed in the blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. (5)

Everyone who will be washed, will be made clean and will be cured from this disease.  (6)

The disease of sin has left death and destruction in its wake all around the world. Even the diseases about which we are currently so concerned are a result of sin’s influence on this earth.

People are rushing to prepare themselves for the possibility of the Coronavirus hitting their area. Where is the rush to prepare for the coming judgment of God?

Courageous doctors and nurses risk their health to care for those infected with deadly diseases around the world. Do we have the same concern for those who are infected with the disease of sin?

As a domestic violence advocate, I see and hear about the horrific effects of sin on a regular basis. I see the cruelty that a sinful heart is willing to inflict upon another human being. I’m all for the law holding accountable anyone who would harm another person in any way. But I also realize that better laws and accountability will not ultimately stop hatred, abuse, assault, and murder. Those things come from the heart, and while a perpetrator may sit behind bars, if his heart is not cleansed from its filthiness he will never change.

The only hope for abusers and their victims is the Gospel. The only hope for thieves and their victims is the Gospel. The only hope for liars and their victims is the Gospel. The only hope for any of us is the Gospel!

Should we acknowledge and prepare for worldwide diseases? Should we take action on behalf of the 6 women who are killed by a partner or family member every single hour? Should we insist that people who would sexually assault another individual be removed from the streets?

Absolutely, yes! But the root of all these terrible things is sin, and the only remedy is Jesus! Through him, murderers, pedophiles, thieves and liars can be cleansed from their filthiness. Through him, people who are moral but can never attain the standard of perfection God requires can be cleansed from their sin. In him, the victims of heinous crimes and abuses can find unconditional, healing love.

So while we speak of diseases, crimes, and abuses and brainstorm solutions to these problems, let us not forget to speak of Jesus. Let us not lose Him in the midst of these important conversations, for He is the most important solution of all.

(1) Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Romans 3:10-12 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

(2) John 3:18-19 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

(3) James 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

(4) Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

(5) John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

(6) John 11:25-26 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

How to Get the Best Deal on a Butcherbox Subscription

Last year I tried out Butcherbox, and while I was extremely happy with the quality of the meat (it's all grass fed and pasture raised meat) I wasn't sure if our budget could afford to continue the subscription.

However, since I was personally trying to stick to a Trim Healthy Mama plan and needed lean meat, I decided that I would keep my subscription just so I could get high quality chicken tenders for myself. Call me a snob, but I just can't bring myself to eat conventionally raised chicken on a regular basis. I do the majority of my shopping at Aldi, and the only decent meat they have available is their grass fed beef. I needed the chicken for THM so I decided to keep my Butcherbox subscription just for that even though it was an extra cost.

Fast forward about 6 months and what I've discovered is that it's much cheaper to buy from Butcherbox than I originally expected; it just takes a little bit of planning and strategy!

So without further adieu, here is the strategy I use to purchase all our Butcherbox meat for around $5/lb.  (Just for reference, the grass fed beef at my Aldi is $5.29  per pound, and I don't even have anywhere to purchase any other good meat, so it's been super nice to get all manner of meats for less than what I would pay for boring old ground beef.)

Here is my step by step strategy to get the best deal on a Butcherbox subscription.

1. I purchase the custom box for $169/month. This gets you the most meat for the money because you can choose which cuts
of meat you want in your box. (You get to choose 6 selections to go in your box.) Naturally, since we're trying to cut our costs down as low as possible, I choose the cuts which give me the most meat, which would be chicken tenders or breasts, or boneless pork butt.
This gets you between 18 and 21 pounds of meat – 18 if you buy all chicken, 21 if you buy all pork.
(Tip: if you buy the pork butt you'll want to slow cook it. The ones I have purchased have been a little bit tough, but slow cooking helps a lot. The chicken, however, has been amazing!)

You may be tempted to go with the offer of a bigger box which includes 18-26 pounds, making the price per pound a little bit cheaper; however if you follow my strategy I can get you a better deal, so keep reading!

So far your total cost is somewhere between 7 and 8 dollars a pound, which is not horrible if you're a chicken snob like me, but we can do better!

2. If this is your first time subscribing, you can sign up through my referral link, which will either give you money off your first box or some free product, which will bring the price per pound down even more.

3. You'll be prompted to select add-on products, which may or may not be a good deal. You'll just have to look. I've been able to get sausage and chicken breasts for $6/lb. when I purchase them as an add-on which is pretty good.

4. For your first box, you'll have to be satisfied with the deal you just got. Between the free products or referral credit you get when you go through my link, and any good prices you found in the add-ons section, you should have gotten a decent deal.

Now, once you've got your account set up and you've paid for your first box, we're going to get you some even better deals for your next box. Ready? Keep reading!

5. Set your subscription time to the max allowed between boxes which is 8 weeks.

6. Now, this is where the real magic happens! While you're waiting for your next box to arrive, you'll want to keep a careful eye on your inbox. Every time you get a sale email from Butcherbox, you need to open it!

They'll send you a link to a page full of deals.

7. When you see a deal that you like, go ahead and add it to your cart. You can add multiples of the same deal to your cart. It's kind of like going to the grocery store and finding something on clearance. I don't know about you, but I buy as many as I can as long as I have space in my freezer. Spending extra now will save me a heap of money later.

8. After you add your deals to your cart, they will stay in your cart until your next box is billed, even if the deals are no longer showing as available when your box bills. That is why it is so advantageous to add things to your cart right anytime you see a price you like.

9. Do not delete any of the specials from your cart unless you are 100% certain you do not want them. If you delete them and they are not available on the deals page anymore, there will be no way to put them back into your cart.

10. Keeping your subscription set to 8 weeks between billing periods gives you a good amount of time to watch for deals. However, my experience has been that I find enough hot deals during that time to last our family even more than 8 weeks. If you don't yet need another box and your billing date is approaching, you can go in and delay your shipment until whatever date you choose. Click on “Update” where it shows your next billing date and then choose your new date.

11. This will give you even more time to check for sales before your next box bills too.  I just continue to delay my box indefinitely until my freezer tells me it's time to restock. Then I look at my list of deals and double check that I've got all the best prices in my cart and select a billing/shipping date that works for me.

Some weeks the deals will be better than others, for instance if there are holidays they might have some really good specials. Just keep checking and adding anything you think you might want each week. You can always delete the higher priced things later if you find something even cheaper.

12. In the mean time, while I'm waiting for weeks, usually 3-4 months, I set aside extra cash from my grocery budget each month so that when I purchase a big bulk order I will have something to pay for it with.

My most recent order was $380. By the time I juggled the sales around in my cart, I ended up paying a little less than $5 per pound for all of this meat.

Now, I must say that I go for cheaper cuts of meat in order to be as economical as possible. If I were adding filet mignon to  my cart every time I obviously wouldn't be able to get my order that low of a price per pound. However, I'm very satisfied with the variety of meats that I'm able to keep in my freezer for my family. We eat ground beef, boneless chicken, bone-in chicken (which gives me broth as well,) pork roasts, bacon, sausage, and turkey.

Between our Butcherbox subscription and my Misfits Market subscription, I always have high-quality meat and produce in the house, which makes up the bulk of my grocery list each week. We're eating lots of protein and vegetables rather than empty carbs, and we all feel more clear headed and energetic when that's the biggest part of our diet. In spite of being a “food snob”, and only purchasing organic produce and high-quality, pasture raised meat, we are able to keep our food costs to $700 per month or less, including toiletries and household items.

I love keeping my freezer full, which saves me trips to the store, and makes it easy for me to always be able to find something to prepare a meal for my family.

If you'd like to try a Butcherbox subscription, you can use this link to get the referral credit and current sign-up offer, then follow the steps I've outlined above to continue getting the best possible price on high quality meat!

10 Boundaries You Can Set to Stop Wasting Time on Social Media

By far, one of the biggest time wasters for me can be my phone, most specifically social media. Once you get on it, you can keep scrolling until the end of time and never run out of interesting things to look at.

Sometimes you can hop on with the best intentions (“I just need to look something up”; “Just a quick scroll to see how my friends are doing”; etc.) and find yourself still scrolling an hour later.

Usually the result is that you feel guilty for wasting time, and frustrated because you were so determined not to fall down the black hole again, yet you did anyway.

How does this happen?

While I won't go into all the technical details, it is proven science that social media apps take advantage of the same process in your brain that creates any other addiction. This is done intentionally because these platforms rely on advertising; therefore it is part of their business strategy to keep you on their platform as often and as long as possible. Negative feelings on social media actually contribute to the addiction as your brain builds up anticipation for the next positive feeling that will hit.

It's not that you have no self-discipline when you open up social media; it's that your brain is doing exactly what it is wired to do, and that is to stay mesmerized, continuously scrolling in anticipation of the next dopamine hit.

Depending on your genetics, your nutrition, and several other factors, this process will take place in some people's brains more quickly than in others.
So what can you do when you want to use your smartphone for good things but you keep getting sucked into wasting a bunch of time?

You can set boundaries for yourself that allow you to stay connected to your friends and family without enabling you to become entranced in an endless scroll.

Here are a 10 ideas for boundaries that you can set for yourself on social media:

1. Practice mindfulness
Fully engage your brain. Don't use your phone as a way to mindlessly escape from the pressures of the day. I get it. When you feel tired or stressed, you just want to check out for a few minutes watching some cute cat videos. But using these apps mindlessly is the quickest way to get sucked in and lose track of time.

2. Follow with intention
When your feed is cluttered with all manner of shiny things, it only contributes to the tendency your brain has to be anticipating that next dopamine hit. But when the people and pages you're following are on your feed for a specific reason, it's easier to keep your brain engaged.
Ask yourself:
-Am I learning anything or being encouraged to grow as a person by what this person shares?
-Are the updates I receive from this person truly helping me keep up with how they're doing or do they only share dorky memes?
-Am I angered or irritated by the things this person shares?

Unfollow anything that is not helping you grow as a person or keep in touch with the people you care about. Unfollow things that make you feel irritated and angry. Unfollow things that are simply shiny “fluff”.

3. Move apps from your phone's home page
Sometimes it just becomes a habit to open up your apps, even when you have no particular reason to. Moving them to a more obscure location on your phone will cause you to put in a little more effort to open them and hopefully think a little harder about why you're opening them.

4. Turn off social media notifications
Seeing those little numbers beside your icons or feeling your phone vibrate in your pocket is a trigger for you to immediately open up your app. There is no mindfulness involved which is a dangerous place for your brain when you're on an app specifically designed to suck you into its content.

5. Leave your phone off your body
Having your phone in your pocket can get you into the habit of mindlessly pulling it out all the time.

6. Replace checking your phone with a different action
Every time you pull out your phone and start to mindlessly open an app, start replacing it with a different action. Do a few squats, write a few lines in your journal, or read a chapter of a book.

7. Go on a social media fast
Choose a day, weekend, or week and go completely screen free except for necessary phone calls or texts. This will give your brain a chance to reset from mindless habits.

8. Use an app to restrict your social media usage to certain times of day
I use the AntiSocial app  on my Android. I'm sure there are similar apps for iPhone. It gives me a lot of options for choosing which apps to restrict and when to restrict them. I asked my husband to set the password for the restrictions so that I can't cheat and log myself back in.

9. Give yourself permission to use social media at the right times
Don't view social media as the forbidden fruit, which only draws you to it more strongly. View it as the valuable tool that it is, and use it with intention. Using an app to restrict my usage has helped me be much more mindful and intentional when I do get on. I know that I only have a certain amount of time, so I'm careful to prioritize looking at and commenting on the content that is truly important for me to see.

10. Remove apps from your phone
If necessary, remove the temptation completely by getting rid of your apps altogether. If you do this, you might want to ask someone else to set a password on your phone for adding and deleting apps so that you won't be able to download them again.

There is no reason to feel guilty about using social media. It can be a very valuable, worthwhile thing when used with intention. I hope these boundaries will help you use your time wisely!

Social media isn't the only aspect of online life that can eat our time away. The good news is that with intention, there is a whole lot we can do to ensure we are accomplishing more with our time.

My Word for 2020

I've known for a couple months now what my focus word for 2020 would be, and I've already been putting it into practice.

The word the Lord has laid on my heart is: FINISH

Here are just a few of the reasons behind that choice:

1. I need to finish what I've started, even when I have setbacks that discourage me.

Living with chronic illness means that I never know what kind of day I'll have. I can have the most amazing day, and then out of the blue I will completely crash.
Every time I crash, I completely lose any momentum on whatever projects I've been doing. All I can do is sleep and wait. I wait because I know that more good days are always right around the corner. But when I am ready to get back out of bed and get back to work I have to start all over. It can be discouraging to try to accomplish something only to be completely derailed before I can complete it. I start things with a lot of excitement, but then lose my passion when I am interrupted by bad days. Not only do I lose the time I spend in bed, but I lose additional time catching up on backed up laundry, dishes, etc. and it might be a couple more days before I have regained the ground I lost. Doing this over and over for years on end can be discouraging, but I have allowed that to make me give up too easily. When I'm feeling well and I get the itch for another project, I start something fresh instead of finishing what I've already started. The thought of finding my place and getting in that groove all over again feels daunting, so I ignore it and start something new instead.
The result is that I have thousands of words written that have never been formatted and published. I have products that are nearly finished but are not serving anyone because they are languishing in files on my computer. I have all manner of things that could bless others that are not doing so because I have not found the gumption to dig back into them, figure out where I am, and finish them!

It's pretty obvious that the word “FINISH” in this instance means for me to literally finish the projects I have started before I begin new ones!

2. I need to be consistent in my everyday tasks instead of giving up when I run into obstacles.

Another related thing I have struggled with is consistency in many areas of my life. Again, gaining momentum on new habits only to be derailed over and over again can be very discouraging. It feels easier to give up altogether than to start over time after time.

But I finally realized that it's not starting over. It is being consistent to jump right back in and continue when I'm able to. It is good to make a habit of going right back to my baseline any day that I can.

So the word “FINISH” is basically a reminder that says, “Don't give up!”

3. I need to move my body in healthy ways.

Another area that I want to be better at is exercising, getting outside every day, and just giving my body some gentle movement every day. Without going into too much detail or making excuses, I do have a condition that will make me completely crash if I exercise too much. But I do need to give my body gentle movement, and get fresh air and sunshine.

In this case, the word “FINISH” reminds me of the finish line of a race. I will definitely not make it to the finish line if I do not get up and move!

4.  I want to be faithful to the Lord, no matter my circumstances.

Paul said in II Timothy 4:7-8 “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”

So the word “FINISH” is just a daily reminder to keep walking with the Lord day after day. In the big things, in the little things, when it's difficult, and when it's easy, I just want to keep being faithful to the Lord.

I'm thankful for the Lord's strength on the hard days. I'm thankful he has directed me to resources that have improved my health greatly over the past couple years. I'm thankful that one day we will all receive new bodies. I'm thankful that in general I have more energy that I had 10 years ago. I'm thankful that when I get hit with bad days they have been passing more quickly than they used to. But that means I need to learn new life strategies. I'm hoping the survival years are behind me (only the Lord knows for sure what is in store for me.) But for now it is time to put my survival strategies behind me and learn new strategies that will help me to FINISH what the Lord wants me to accomplish with my life.

One project I did finish within the past couple months is a brand new workbook where I'm sharing simple strategies to help you overcome the frustrations in your day. It's called 7 Days to Calm.

Inside you'll learn how to create routines that work for you, and you'll also learn how to stick with your routines.

This workbook launches in February, so be sure to use the box below to subscribe to updates so I can notify you!

Misfits Market Review: My Honest, Unsponsored Opinion

For a while now, I’ve seen various bloggers mentioning produce box delivery services, and I was quite intrigued about the idea of ordering organic vegetables online.  The only problem was that these imperfect produce boxes were never available in my area. One day I ran across some information about Misfits Market, and on a whim I decided to check the availability. Lo and behold, they were available in a quite a large market, including my state.
Of course the next thing I looked at was the pricing, and I was honestly a little shocked at how affordable it was to buy organic vegetables online from Misfits Market! We are not a family who can afford luxuries, so when I realized that a Misfits Market subscription was something that could fit into our tight budget, I was quite excited!

What is Misfits Market?

Misfits Market is a produce box delivery service. They rescue imperfect produce from small farms that would otherwise go to waste since grocery stores only want “perfect” food. They sell these ugly fruits and vegetables to people like you and me who don’t mind an onion that’s too big or a potato that’s too small. I can’t honestly say that I’ve seen too many truly ugly fruits or vegetables come in my boxes. The produce I receive in my box is always fresh and looks pretty normal to me. However, if it has marks from sitting on the ground or some such imperfection, it is considered imperfect produce and can’t be sold in the grocery store. Personally, I prefer the real stuff that doesn’t look like it was engineered in a lab!

How Much Does a Subscription Cost?

Misfits Market has two sizes of boxes available. This Mischief box costs $22 for 10-13 pounds of organic produce. The Madness box is $35 and contains 18-22 pounds of organic fruits and vegetables.

You can set your account up to have produce boxes delivered either once a week or once every two weeks.

We have 2 adults and five children in our family, and we get the larger sized box every week. Our produce delivery is a large part of our weekly groceries, and it’s just about the perfect amount for our size family for a week.

My mom, on the other hand, gets a small box delivered once every two weeks for her and my dad.

(Scroll to the bottom of this post for a discount on your first box.)

A typical lunch made with my Misfits Market produce.

What Comes in a Box?

Throughout this review of Misfits Market, I’m including photos of our past produce delivery boxes so you can see what they typically include. We have been subscribed for 10 or 11 weeks now and have been super happy with every single box.

Is a Subscription Worth the Cost?

I suppose the only way to know if a Misfits Market subscription is worth the cost is to look at some real numbers. Let’s take a random box of mine and break down the numbers. I'll just post the next picture in my file so I'm not intentionally the best value; it's just totally random.

How much would I pay for these items at the store? I'm having to sort of eyeball some of this, but I'll give it my best shot.

Pears: I would pay approximately $3 for a bag of pears this size at Aldi. This would be for non-organic pears, while the Misfits Market pears are organic.

Salad Greens: Since I typically purchase organic greens, I pay about $4 for a week's worth.

Chili Peppers: I would expect to pay around $2/lb. for non-organic chili peppers at the store, so roughly $1 for these two peppers.

Eggplant: approximately $1.49/lb. for non-organic at the store, so roughly $3.50 for these two.

Broccoli:  It would cost me around $3 for a package of organic broccoli at the store.

Bok Choy: Approximately $1.69/lb. for non-organic at the store, so roughly $2 for these two.

Pomegranates: These have been $1.50 each at Aldi, which is about the cheapest I can find them. So $6 for these 4.

Apples: I would pay around $3.50 for this many organic apples at the store.

Turnips: This is roughly a pound of turnips which would cost around $1.69 at the store for non-organic.

Celery: I pay about $1.25 for a pack of non-organic celery at the store, so $2.50 for these 2 bunches.

Onions: This is around a pound of white onions, so about $1.69 for non-organic at the store.

Lemons: Four lemons is approximately one pound, so somewhere around $1 for the lemons.

Red potatoes: Organic red potatoes are pretty pricey; a bag this size would cost me around $3 at Aldi.

Green Onions: I would pay about $1.50 for non-organic green onions at the store.

Grocery store total: Roughly $37.38
Misfits markets total: $35 (plus $4.50 shipping, so $39.50 total)

As you can see, I paid a very similar amount to what I would pay for this food at the grocery store. However, most of what I purchase at the grocery store is not organic, and all of the produce from Misfits Market is organic.

Additionally, the produce I receive from Misfits Market has almost always been more flavorful and deeper colored (more nutrition!) than what I can find in the grocery.

There may not be any significant cost savings over buying my produce from the grocery store, but I am paying roughly the same amount and getting what I feel is better quality food.

One week I just cut up all the produce into a huge bowl, divided it into freezer bags, and froze it. When I need a quick dinner, I dump a bag of veggies and a carton of broth into my Instant Pot for a healthy, easy dinner!

How Hard is it to Cancel a Subscription?

Any time I sign up for something new, it’s comforting to know that I can back out easily if I change my mind. I’ve been incredibly happy with my subscription, but I like knowing that if I ever need to cancel for any reason, it’s a simple process. Some companies try to make cancelling their services impossible, but Misfits Market makes it so easy!

There is literally one button on your account that you click to cancel your subscription. Or if you do not want to cancel entirely but just need to take a break, you can pause your subscription with one click.

If you’re going out of town for the week, simply click “Skip delivery” for the week you want to skip. We have a trip planned out a number of weeks away, and I was already able to select to have that week skipped.

Their account management is one of the easiest I’ve used among all the various online accounts I have.

Big buttons that you can't miss!

Is the Food Organic?

Yes, all of the fruit and vegetables in a Misfits Market imperfect produce delivery box are organic and non-GMO.

Where Does Misfits Market Deliver?

Currently their delivery area includes all zip codes in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Maine, Ohio, West Virginia, Washington, D.C., Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. Tennessee orders are opening now, and they are regularly adding new states! Sign up for their wait list if they do not yet deliver to your state.

Does the Food Stay Fresh During Delivery?

The produce is delivered in insulated boxes with ice packs, and I have not personally had any problems with the food going bad during delivery. I live several states away from their shipping location, so I think that most people should have no problem. I haven’t had to deal with their customer service but have spoken with friends who had a very easy time getting some items replaced that had gone bad.

Additional thoughts:

Along with being an affordable way for me to keep organic produce in the house for my family, I'm also really enjoying being surprised each week! I have a personality that gets bored easily, so I love not knowing what produce we're going to have each week until we get our box. (I realize that depending on your personality, that could actually be a downside, but I personally love it.) When we get something we don't particularly care for (like eggplant) I enjoy the challenge of finding a recipe that will knock my family out of the park and surprise their taste buds. But when all else fails, I just chop up weird vegetables and throw them into a pot of soup. When it's mixed with all the other soup ingredients, no one can ever tell it's in there.

Also, we have been eating more fruits and vegetables now that they show up on our doorstep every week. It's something I know I ought to do, but then I chicken out at the grocery store because I don't want to buy too much and waste it. But when it shows up at my door, then we have to eat it, and it's been a great thing for our nutrition.

Also, I have found that even though we now have the privilege of eating nearly 100% organic produce, we are actually spending less on groceries each week. Because our Misfits Market produce and the meat I purchase online from ButcherBox comprise the bulk of our groceries, I don't have to go the grocery store very often. The less I go, the less I spend! For a family of 7, we spend less than $700 each month on all our groceries, toiletries, and household items, while using nearly all organic and all-natural products.

Misfits Market Coupon Code

Use the following coupon code at checkout for a discount on your first Misfits Market produce box: COOKWME-GR9QPE

Remember, it's very easy to cancel, so if you want to just try out a box to see how you like it, you can totally do that.

Visit Misfits Market here, select which box you'd like, and paste the coupon code in when you check out.

COOKWME-GR9QPE