Life, Love and Subscriptions

Soooo, I’m addicted to subscriptions. Normally, I wouldn’t say I have an addictive personality but something about the flashing (mental) neon sign of “Sign up now! You’ll receive a box every week/month/2 months!” just draws me in. I believe I am currently the proud owner of roughly 10 subscriptions — Netflix & Hulu included, of course — having tried a minimum of at least 14 others. What are my favorites? So glad you asked! All of the food related ones, obviously. Even when I realize I forgot to cancel or skip those, who actually gets pissed that a box of yummy food shows up on their doorstep, ready to be cooked and devoured? I’ve personally tried out Blue Apron (who hasn’t), HelloFresh (helloooo), GreenChef (it’s healthy, right?), and Plated. I must say that Plated was my favorite but it is the one I’ve received the least, due to cost. At $50 a box — for only two, 2 serving meals — it is the most expensive meal kit delivery service I tried *but* their menu options were expansive with the most creative recipes that would appeal to any crowd. Their food was also always delivered correctly, fresh, and on time. Their app was easy to use and I wish they offered ‘Welcome Back’ discounts because I’d return in a heartbeat, but not at full price. Blue Apron, HelloFresh, and Green Chef I would say all rank pretty similarly for me; to me, Blue Apron has the most complicated recipes, while HelloFresh offers quick & truly delicious victuals, though not generally very healthy for you. Meanwhile, Green Chef swoops in with options like Paleo & Keto, leaving you satiated yet not feeling guilty. I will say, I have proven to myself that shopping at the grocery store is 1000% always cheaper buttttt there is a simple joy in having someone else pick the menu & bring the items to your door.

Wine subscriptions… I feel slightly ashamed even typing those words. Okay maybe not ashamed but I’m definitely laughing at myself. There was one month this year that I received 4 boxes of wine in a 2 week period because I completely forgot how many wine subscriptions I had active. (Don’t judge me, quarantine was hard!) So which ones have I tried, let’s see…. There was Vinesse, who got me through a mailer. I know, I know, I can hardly believe it myself. There there’s Firstleaf — recommended by a friend who hosted me and during my stay shared much of his delicious wine. As a thank you, I used his referral code to sign up, intending to only get one box… but that was 2 years ago and I still get their wine. Then there’s BrightCellars, a company whom I am preeeetty sure I signed up for through a coupon they sent me in one of my other subscriptions. It is truly a vicious cycle, I’m telling you. WineInsiders, I have used twice and both times with a Groupon because they are EXPENSIVE but, with the Groupon, you get 15 bottles of wine for like $90. I know that sounds pricey off the bat, but think about it, that’s $6 a bottle and this wine is legit good wine. Check out the Groupon, if you’re interested. Last, but certainly not least, is NakedWines. This one I was reeled into by my roommate but I have no regrets and it is the one service I remain subscribed to by choice ie I intentionally let them charge me every month. Their set up is a little different, versus shipping you a box every month that you may or may not want, NakedWines puts the power back in your hands. They let you act as almost a wine investor of sorts and while they do charge you money each month, you choose the amount — as low as $20 a month! — and you order, with intention I might add, nothing pre-selected, whenever you want to receive your wine. It’s a bit like having a wine bank account and who doesn’t want that?

Ok ok so food and bev aside, any of you wondering what other subscriptions I have? Men, I warn you, this is where I will likely lose your attention: the next blurb is going to be about clothes, shoes, and general shopping. Of the subscription boxes of the shopping persuasion, I have tried Birchbox, FabFitFun, JustFab, Fabletics, Le Tote and Stitchfix. — If you haven’t been keeping track, we are up to 18 subscriptions at this point. Like I said, I have a problem. Anyways… — Today, I am still subscribed to JustFab, Fabletics, and Le Tote. I haven’t received a Le Tote box in over a year but for some reason, I have not yet been able to bring myself to cancel. Don’t worry though, this one I actually do always remember to skip. JustFab & Fabletics, however, I am still a current customer of theirs because they GOT ME! As in kablamo, you’re trapped now. On both, I have accrued hard earned points as well as collected many months of ‘oops I forgot to cancel’ credits making it impossible, yes impossible, to walk away. To be fair though, I do like both companies. The fitness outfits from Fabletics are very fun, their styles change up every month, and once you learn what size you are in their products, they do run true. I’ve brought many a friend, referral points bayyybeeee, into the Fabletics family. JustFab I have slightly less warm feelings about but do continue to use them because I walk a lot. And I walk hard. I burn through shoes like a smoker burns through a pack of cigarettes. Seriously, I don’t know what it is about how I walk but the heels wear down on only one side so I find myself walking with an inward lean like a newborn deer. Then the toes start to get holes in them, the soles rip out or start flaking off inside the shoe, and the outsides… well, they sort of start to look like I store my shoes in a box of knife blades, with scratches of every shape and size decorating the outside. So I like JustFab because, for just $40 a month, I can keep walking hard right on through each pair with little guilt. To briefly cover StitchFix, Le Tote, and FabFitFun, I’ll say that StitchFix is fun because it comes with a little mystery, you never know what you’re going to get and that can be intriguing. This is the same for FabFitFun. I only did StitchFix 3–4x because I ended up not liking many of their clothes and was only keep the jewelry, at $20 a shipment it no longer felt worth it, but I have heard they’ve changed their rules, so I might look back into it. Uh oh. FabFitFun I only did once because, similar to StitchFix, what you’re going to receive is a total mystery and it is a little pricey, but I to this day still use 4 out of the 5 items I received, so I wouldn’t knock it if you haven’t tried it! I mean, a mystery box of goodies is never a bad thing. Le Tote was my JAM for 2, almost 3, years but then their options started to age out of my sense of fashion, so I stopped receiving their boxes. I am still subscribed though — they don’t charge you unless you receive a box — because I keep waiting for the options to vary again with items appealing to all ages. If you are a working professional who has to dress as such, I would definitely recommend Le Tote. All their clothes are of exceptional quality and could above and beyond get you ‘suited’ for work. See what I did there? I crack myself up.

For the grand finale, let’s talk television. Or movies. Or shorts; have you seen Riley’s First Date? Kills me. So we have the obvious one, Netflix, naturally. This was actually my only subscription for awhile and then COVID happened and quarantine and now… Well now I have Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, AmazonPrime, Showtime, aaannndd I think that’s it. I also had Starz at one point during quarantine but cancelled it after the free trial. I’m debating on getting HBO but hoping to just bum it off someone. No comments here really, all subscriptions to cinematic materials are pretty much the same other than the content that they offer. I really don’t use one any more or less than the others and I enjoy a little bit of everything they each have. Currently watching Good Girls, Little Fires Everywhere, Catastrophe, Cougar Town, Casual, Happy Endings, ShadowHunters, and literally every Disney/Pixar film ever created. Secret Life of Pets, Zootopia, Sing, Onward, Big Hero 6, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Secret Life of Pets 2, Finding Dory, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, The Bee Movie, Frozen 2, Inside Out — I have watched and/or re-watched them all this year. Turns out, I really enjoy kid movies and honestly, some of these movies really hit home on adult topics. Looking for some free therapy? Or just to feel all the feels? Frozen 2, Onward, Inside Out, and Ralph Breaks the Internet will GET YOU. I am 31 years old and yes, I just recommended kid films as a form of cheap self help. #30goingon13

Welp, that’s a wrap folks. Tried a subscription that you love not mentioned above? Feel free to comment below and leave a recommendation! Cuz I have money to burn, apparently. Questions on any of the aforementioned subscriptions? Again (duh), comment below and let me know. I’ll be sure to fill you in on all the extra deets. Until next time!