I’m probably the most introverted person I know. In all those MBTI personality tests, I always end up as an INFJ with the I (for introvert) somewhere in the 70% range. Consequently, I’ve always joked that I would start to miss humanity after about 3 years on a deserted island. So, being confined to my home is not a particular hardship for me. However, I DO need to feed my family of 4 people and 3 cats. And, the thought of braving the grocery stores with thousands of other people, all potentially carrying the plague, holds little appeal. So, what’s a mom to do? Thankfully, there are quite a few delivery subscriptions available online. I can purchase everything from fresh produce, toilet paper, pantry staples, cleaning supplies, vitamins, toiletries and children’s learning activities using a recurring DISCOUNTED subscription service and have them delivered directly to my doorstep. (Special shout out to USPS, UPS, and FedEx for their help making this possible for all of us!!)
Misfits Market
I’m a recent convert to Misfits Market. They are a subscription service based in Philadelphia and New Jersey that delivers boxes of fresh organic produce for up to 40% less than grocery store prices. They offer deliveries every week or every other week. And you can choose between two different sized boxes:
- The Mischief—a small box containing approximately 10-13 pounds of fruits and veggies for $22
- The Madness—a large box containing approximately 18-22 pounds of produce for $35.
The Mischief feeds approximately 2 people for a week, and the Madness feeds approximately 5 people for a week.
The premise of this delivery service is that their produce is wonky looking. Misfits Market provides fresh, delicious produce that isn’t particularly attractive, so it wouldn’t ordinarily sell well in grocery stores. Consequently, you get steep discounts while also reducing the nation’s food waste. Currently, this service is available in the Northeast, South and Midwest. You can check their map to see if this service is available in your state. And, friends and family: feel free to use my coupon code to get 25% off your first order, just copy and paste this code during checkout: COOKWME-GS6PBU.
My most recent Madness box arrived this morning. As you can see from the picture below, the produce is very fresh. One thing I recommend is ordering some cotton produce bags on Amazon for storage. They are not expensive (6-10 bags for about $14). And using the bags makes storage and organization a lot easier. I use two different kinds of bags: cotton mesh and plain canvas.
Reel Paper
Back in January I saw a Pinterest ad for Reel Paper and decided to try it on a whim. At the time, both my girls had the flu and we were using A LOT of toilet paper. And, I didn’t particularly feel like hauling two vomiting, feverish children to Target to pick up more toilet paper. So, premium toilet paper delivered to my door sounded like an excellent option.
Aside from the convenience of delivery, this company has several things going for it:
- Their toilet paper is phenomenal. Each soft and sturdy 3-ply roll lasts double the time of all other rolls we’ve ever used. For instance, I just used the very last roll in the 24-roll box that I purchased in January. That’s 2 months, in 3 bathrooms, for 4 people, AND in the midst of the flu! It is hands-down the best toilet paper I’ve ever tried. (And, they’re individually wrapped, so if times get tough and you need to use it as currency, have at it!)
- The toilet paper is completely tree-free. It’s made of sustainable eco-friendly bamboo. So, it’s better for the environment.
- The company has a fantastic mission. For every roll you buy, they donate a single-use biodegradable toilet to someone in need.
So, not only are you helping yourself, you’re also helping the environment and society! What’s not to love? That said, at first I was a bit taken aback by the price—$29.99 for 24 rolls seemed steep to me. But, considering the quality of the product, how long it lasts, and the convenience, it is well worth it.
Amazon Subscribe & Save
I’m sure by now, almost everyone knows about Amazon’s Subscribe & Save program. But, it still bears mentioning. I’ve been using Amazon’s Subscribe & Save program since my eldest was in diapers. I used to buy her pull-ups from there when I was potty-training her. Currently, I buy everything from vitamins, coffee, contact solution, snacks, lentils, rice, pasta, baking flour, cocoa powder, and vanilla, shampoo, allergy medicine, cat food and cat litter through the program.
Essentially, I could survive months of never leaving the house as long as I had Amazon Subscribe & Save. (Not that I’d really want to, but it would be possible.) There are thousands upon thousands of items available on subscribe & save. Basically, you sign up to order a specific set of products on a recurring basis. You can get it delivered once every 1-6 months—you choose the frequency. Skip any month, change the quantity each month. There’s a lot of flexibility and versatility. And, depending on what and how many items you purchase, you save anywhere from 5% to 20% on each item.
KiwiCo
With the kids home for the foreseeable future, it’s nice to have educational projects and activities available for them. I am not a teacher. Not even close. Hubby and I joke that me being a teacher would be similar to Cameron Diaz’s character in the aptly named movie, Bad Teacher. So, teaching the girls anything beyond the basics is not my forte. And this is where the KiwiCo crates come into play. KiwiCo offers a monthly subscription service that delivers age-appropriate educational projects for children. My eldest, who is our budding artist, gets the Doodle Crate which is for ages 9-16 and provides all kinds of awesome artistic projects. Recently, she made her own paper, and created a leather bound notebook. Past boxes have included making felt succulents and homemade soap. She looks forward to these every month. My youngest, who is 5, asked for the science crate for her upcoming birthday. So, I signed her up to receive the Kiwi Crate which is meant for ages 5-8. That crate contains all kinds of cool science and art projects.
KiwiCo currently has 8 lines of crates, ranging from ages 0-104. Each one is less than $20/month and they currently are offering a 15% discount to everyone when you use the code LEARN at checkout. They also offer lots of free resources for online learning which is particularly helpful right now.
Lots of Options
There are tons of other delivery subscriptions out there, and I would love to hear about any that you find particularly helpful. For now, these are the ones that my family uses on a regular basis. They help me keep my sanity in these trying times. I hope they help you, too. I hope you all stay safe, healthy and sane!