Tuesday, January 18, 2022

8 Ways I Simplify My Life and more...

It’s so easy to over-complicate life. To completely miss simple solutions because they are, well, just too easy! Now, hear me out: I’m not saying you should be lazy or lax. What I am saying is that there’s no point in wasting a lot of time and ...
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Intentional finance. Intentional family. Intentional business.

8 Ways I Simplify My Life

It’s so easy to over-complicate life. To completely miss simple solutions because they are, well, just too easy!

Now, hear me out: I’m not saying you should be lazy or lax. What I am saying is that there’s no point in wasting a lot of time and energy on making life more complicated or difficult than it needs to be. The more we pare down to what matters most, the more time we have to intentionally invest in what’s important.

Two questions I ask regularly as I come up against a problem or just go throughout normal life are:

1. How can I make this easier?

2. What can I do to simplify this?

I firmly believe that simplicity is a superpower. And while I have always focused on keeping things simple, the last three years of two pregnancies and fostering two other babies has caused me to simplify even more! In this episode, I share 8 ways I simplify my life.

Jesse and I also talk about a favorite TV show, a documentary we’re watching, what we’re reading, and what’s saving our lives.

 

In This Episode

[00:34] – Welcome to another episode of The Crystal Paine Show.

[01:45] – It has been an eventful week, with a pretty significant amount of snow.

[02:45] – One of our favorite shows on TV has returned.

[03:43] – We talk about a documentary that Jesse and I are watching.

[06:54] – What has been saving my life for some time now.

[08:00] – Jesse jokes about what is saving his life.

[09:21] – I finished an audible book that was recommended by a listener.

[13:15] – Let’s talk about simplifying our lives instead of over-complicating them. Here are 8 ways I do this…

[13:24] – I wear the same outfit over and over again.

[14:09] – My make-up and hair routine.

[16:00] – We keep meals really simple.

[16:42] – We don’t have many toys.

[17:55] – We have the older kids be in charge of many aspects of their lives.

[20:33] – We have a donation bin.

[21:18] – I avoid work related meetings and phone calls.

[22:37] – Systems for organizing emails and piles of paper.

[23:40] – Some of these may not work for you but I want to challenge you: how can you simplify?

   
 

An Honest Misfits Market Review! (Plus $10 Off Your First $30+ Purchase!)

Do you struggle with the cost of produce for your family? Check out this really honest Misfits Market review for a possible solution that might save you money on groceries! And be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post for a Misfits Market discount code that will save you $10 off your first box!

Psst! Looking for more grocery savings? Sign up for my FREE cheat sheet on 10 ways to cut your grocery bill by $50 per week!

Honest Misfits Market Review

If you’re looking for honest Misfits Market reviews, be sure to read this guest post by Samantha Hatcher from Inspired By Lucile and Self Care Mama Club. And if you’re curious to try it out, scroll to the bottom for a Misfits Market discount code you can use!

The Cost of Produce

Have you ever gotten to the middle of the pay period only to discover you have either run out of produce or what you have has gone bad? That was my problem for years. Produce would go bad because I didn’t get to it fast enough, or we would be scrounging around for any vegetable to put with our main dish. (And with nine people in the house, this is a real problem!)

Besides meat, produce is usually the most expensive item for most people. When you are trying to make sure your family has a nice variety of fruits and vegetables, it can start to add up in cost. And when not everything is in season, the prices of out of season imported produce is even higher!

My family has their favorite veggies and fruits that I almost always pick up at Aldi, and while they have some of the best prices for organic produce, their out of season produce isn’t very flavorful. Think of a garden-fresh tomato and one from the store. They taste completely different.

The Struggle with Buying Produce

Buying produce can be overwhelming.

Maybe you pick up the same exact produce each shopping trip, despite being sick of eating it. Why? Because you know these tried and true purchases will work for your family.

Or perhaps you stand there not knowing what to buy, overwhelmed by the rainbow of produce in front of you.

Or maybe you’re the mom who doesn’t have time to go to the store to buy real food between work, errands, and kids’ activities. You don’t care what they eat; you wish it would show up at your door like magic.

I have dealt with all these struggles during different seasons of my life. I know the stress and brainpower it takes to plan meals, shop, put it all away, and cook all the meals. And the night of shopping, we usually just end up having pizza.

I’ve honestly gone through seasons when even going to the grocery store made me want to consider having my entire family fast.

This past year I realized I desperately needed a solution — one that would take care of all these struggles and not break the bank.

Misfits Market Grocery Savings

Enter Misfits Market

A few months ago, I discovered Misfits Market through a friend.

I had heard many people’s Misfits Market reviews and was curious, so I finally decided to sign up with her referral link to get 25% off my first box. And I was SO pleased!!

Everything was fresh, delivered with several cold packs, and was shipped to my house in two days. The variety of items was overwhelming, but looked like almost all of it was something I would have bought anyway. Things were a bit odd-shaped or sized, but I definitely didn’t mind!

I checked out the price and picked the larger 18-22 pound box for a family of five. The box is normally $35, but with the 25% discount it brought it down to just $26.25! And that’s a great price, considering all of it is organic! (Want to save $10 off your first box? Use code CACTUS10 at checkout to get $10 off your first $30 purchase!)

I was pretty hooked after my first box and knew that I couldn’t get that much produce at the store for that price, especially organic. I decided to give it a try, and knew that we could cancel the subscription if we didn’t like it.

Changing Up Our New Favorite Produce

I was the mom who bought the same produce over and over without thinking. And when I got tired of it, I just stood there and stared at the produce, hoping it would have some answers for me.

When my first Misfits Market box arrived, everything looked like something we would eat, except for eggplant.

I have only eaten eggplant a few times in my life. It was slimy and gross, but I was determined to give it a try. I found this great recipe for eggplant fries, and that changed everything! The first night we tried them, we ran out of eggplant fries instead of chicken, and my children were asking for more!

We had a hit on our hands. The next box contained swiss chard and more eggplant. We once again made the fries, and we roasted the swiss chard with gnocchi. Yum! Once again, something new was a big hit for our family.

When our third box arrives, my six-year-old said, “Oh, goodie, I hope there is an eggplant.” To her disappointment, there wasn’t eggplant, but we discovered how much we loved pomegranates!

Misfits Market Discount Code

Why We LOVE Misfits Market!

Because of Misfits Market, I no longer have to make a mid-paycheck trip to the grocery store, which would cost more than it should.

Misfits Market has not only saved me from going to the grocery store. It has also pushed me to expand my culinary skills and our children’s taste buds.

Never did I imagine that any of my children would say they hope we got eggplant. Never did I imagine my kids would be so excited about new foods and finding recipes to try.

But here we are! I have cut my grocery bill by $250 each month, my family is trying new things, and my children are learning to like new things that I would never have bought before.

Because of all these reasons, I’ve become a faithful Misfits Market subscriber!

Misfits Market Discount Code

Want to give Misfits Market a try without paying full price? You’re in luck!

Just use discount code CACTUS10 during sign-up to get $10 off your first $30+ purchase! That’s an even better discount than you get with a referral code!

Have you tried this service yet? I’d love to hear your Misfits Market reviews, if so!

Samantha is a SAHM of 7 children who has spent 25 years learning how to live on one income. She used the wisdom of her Grandma Lucile, who grew up during the depression, to learn how to get the best bang for her buck. When she isn’t homeschooling her kids, you will find her blogging at Inspired By Lucile or the Self Care Mama Club.

   
 

21 Days to a More Disciplined Life