PawBox August 2013

So I subscribed to my second dog subscription box - PawBox. PawBox is a monthly subscription for your pet - you can actually choose a box for a dog or a box for a cat. As I have two dogs I subscribed to the dog box. This box costs $10 per month and you can order one here: www.pawbox.com Below is my review of the first box I received from them:

This is just a picture of the packaging, card that was included with the box and a first look.

This is the actual first look. Cute tissue paper.

The first item is a grooming brush. I already have one of these and don't use the one that I have. I am a little unimpressed with this item as I think this is something I could have found somewhere inexpensively and easily.

The next item is the pop'n bites for dogs. My dogs loved these and I am happy to see it is made in the USA - couldn't help but notice the grooming brush was made in China. While my dogs did love these treats, this item was also something that I feel like I could find easily in stores, if not this exact item then something very similar.

Ok, next is the rope toy...what can I say about this rope toy...well, it's colorful!! I really wasn't impressed by this item either. My dogs aren't fans of rope toys but if they were they are abundant at our local dollar store. I gifted the rope toy and grooming brush to a friend's dog who was very happy to have them.

And next is the Natures Animals Biscuts...uh, wait a minute...guess they must have ran out because there was another item in my box. Other boxes have supplemented items because they ran out before but they usually add a little card explaining the difference in items. I didn't notice that the item was not what was listed on the card or that the picture was way out of focus when I took the picture either. Too bad because this by far was my dogs favorite item in the box. There were only four and they got two each. I found them online: this is Cloud Star Wag More Bark Less Soft & Chewy Dog Treats and from the package color it looks like my dogs got the pumpkin pie flavor...they must take after me, I love pumpkin flavored anything! Also, they are made in the USA - I found them online for $5.99 for a 6 ounce bag - I am planning to buy this when the treats I have run out. My dogs LOVED these treats:

Begging for the treats, they weren't fans of me taking pictures first!

Finally, the surprise toy! And...it's a...?? What exactly is this - a fabric toy mouse?? I swear this looks just like toy mice I used to buy for my cat to play with when I used to have cats. I am unimpressed once again - I think I could make this myself and it would probably only cost 50 cent to 1 dollar for the materials. Callie was slightly more impressed than I was however...my dogs are easy to please. Soooo, all in all I am under-impressed (is that a real word?) by this box. Most of the items are things that I could find for less than $10 in any local market or even dollar store. Maybe I would have been more impressed if I hadn't gotten BarkBox first. I have to say this box need to step up their game - I realize they are only $10 per month vs bark box's $19 per month (if you subscribe for 6 months) but I would rather pay more to get better quality items. I think they need to give less and better quality and this box would be much improved in my opinion.

Skoshbox September 2013

Anyone how knows me knows I love Asian culture so it should come as no surprise that when I saw there was an Asian snack subscription box I immediately ordered it - if you are interested in ordering it you can find it here: http://skoshbox.xom\the-box\ for only $12 a month (that includes shipping). Below is my first box:

This is the outside of the box, first looks and the card that is included in the box. The items included are: Koala's March: these are always great but not really something I would want to find in a box because my local grocery store, Wal-Mart, Toy-R-Us and Target all sell this. Chocolate - I received the Ghana - it was a bit melted when I got it so I threw it in the freezer for a bit, tasted good, nothing special Age-Ichi Senbei - this was amazing...its long gone Umaibo - puffed corn snack: cheese flavor - I haven't tried this yet but have had similar snacks and I am a fan - I have only seen these before in comic cons and I haven't gone to one in years so I was happy to see this in the box Matcha Candy - for some reason I am really picky about matcha flavored candy - I haven't tried this one yet because I am usually not a huge fan Kanten Jelly - I am a huge fan of all jelly candies - I tried this first - it was good - just a light flavor to it Popcandy Soda - lollipop: I got the cola flavored one - haven't tried it yet Manju- Steamed Azuki Bean Cake: Plain - I loved this - sooo sweet! Ichigo Milk Candy - strawberry - I haven't tried this candy yet either Fujiya Home Pie - Buttery Flake Pie - looking at this snack it doesn't look like much but I am in love!!! I hope they send this in all the boxes going forward! Kakinotane- spicy rice crackers with Peanuts - I haven't tried this yet but I have had similar rice crackers and I am a fan Keshigomu - Japanese Eraser - back by popular demand...um...really?? Seemed like a regular eraser to me! Not sure why anyone would demand this...the home pie yes...but this? I'm sure I know someone who draws who I can gift this to

All in all I loved this box - there were a lot of things to try and a bunch of things I couldn't find at my local Asian market! Can't wait until next months box - I already got an email that it shipped! Oh yeah, another great thing about this box, I gets there by the beginning of the month!

Publix Clearance

If you live in the state of Florida you are very familiar with Publix Supermarkets. My favorite thing about Publix is the clearance section and I typically head straight for it. There are two clearance sections- a frozen food section and a dry goods section. The products are clearly marked with bright oranges stickers. Every Publix clearance section is unique but most have the same items. This is some of the items I picked up yesterday.

As a price comparison I looked the products up online and I am going off the least expensive price I could find. The Burt's Bee's towels were $3.00 online, the aspirin powder was $3.99 for 24- that would be .16 each and each of the packets in the picture have 6 powders so that would make the value $0.96, the propel powder was $3.96 online and the Brita water bottle was $8.99. All really great values. Not pictured is a bag of Publix 5# dog food that I purchased. I am so mad at myself that I only purchased one bag...I was concerned my dogs wouldn't like it but they loved it...the bag only cost $0.75!!!! I will be scouring local Publix for more of these bags! As always with food items double check expiration dates before buying. 

GlossyBox August 2013

GlossyBox was the second subscription box I received. I was super excited about this box because I had looked up past boxes and it looked like everything this company sent out was full size products and that it was really high quality. Glossybox costs $21 per month if you purchase it month to month but they also have options for a 3, 6 and 12 month subscription with savings for all of these plans. You can find glossybox here: http://www.glossybox.com/ There is a box within a box - the box that the items are in is actually a nice, sturdy box that can be reused and I have an aunt that loves to pack confetti in all of my packages so she will be getting the packing confetti that came in this box! When I took the inner box out of the packing box there was a coupon for Guess, a booklet explaining the products in the box and a cosmetic bag at the bottom of the box!

The first item was Spray Misty For Me Facial Spritz:

I have to admit when I opened the box and saw this item I wasn't impressed. I thought it looked a little cheap, and maybe like a product out of the 90's. A few days after I received this box I had a really late night and was feeling a bit sluggish this next morning. I decided to try this product...and I have to say I am hooked. The smell first of all is lovely and it really does feel like it is refreshing you when spritz your face with it. I was pleasantly surprised - I use this almost every day and plan on buying more when it runs out! The next item I saw was the Novex - Brazilian Keratin Hair Care Treatment Cream - I knew this would come to good use as I use keratin in my hair.

Next was the Jelly Pong Pong Lip Blush - I was not a fan of the color at all, which I thought was way too bright for me! I do have a cousin that is very much into fashion and is a little more adventurous than me - I gave her this as a gift and she loved it!

Next was the Pandora's Makeup Box Nail Polish - I got white...always can use a white nail polish. No complaints here, just not overly excited by it either.

The last thing in my box was the Sue Devitt Triple C-Weed Pressed Powder. At first look I was very disappointed. I live in Florida and have a tan - this color is much too light for me. I began to play with it a bit and realized that unfortunately because of wearing sunglasses I don't always have an allover same tone and applying a layer of this under my bronzer helps me to have an even tone. I use it every morning now! I break out from some products as well and haven't had a problem with this product - it is high quality - love it!

I must say that I was disappointed at first in this box but I really did enjoy playing with the products and using them and even gifting the things that wouldn't work for me. Can't wait to see what I get next month!

Infulenster VoxBox Sargento Cheese Box August 2013

In my search for subscription boxes I came across www.influenster.com Influenster is a website that you can join and review items and take surveys - its a lot of fun actually. They also send out boxes for members to review. You can qualify for boxes a few different ways. I qualified for their most recent box - a Sargento Cheese Box. The box arrived on Monday - there was a voucher for a free Sargento Cheese Snack, a coupon for $1 off another snack and the most adorable insulated holder to hold one cheese stick! Heres a look at the inside of the box and the cheese snack holder:

I went to my local grocery store and they didn't have any of the string cheese snack which was a huge bummer because I am a really big fan a string cheese...maybe its the little kid in me. Well anyway, at the store I couldn't decide which one snack to try so I used the voucher and the coupon and bought two kinds: sharp cheddar-jack and pepper jack

Can you see that pepper seed in the pepper jack cheese picture! That cheese has a nice bite! I am a huge fan of pepper jack cheese in general, I like anything spicy and this cheese doesn't fail to deliver. The cheddar-jack cheese was very good as well, the cheddar was really rich. These are long sticks of solid cheese so they are rich, not really something you would want to eat alone. I enjoyed mine with some crackers. After I received my box and bought my cheese I logged onto the Influenster website and the Sargento people suggest pairing the cheese snacks with crackers, fruit and veggies along with several other things to make a balanced snack. I really liked these and have been bringing them to work every day in my new little insulated container...I typically get some hunger pangs around 3pm and these snack sticks and a handful of almonds have been helping me get through the day all week :)

Bark Box August 2013 Box Review

My first subscription box was to Bark box - I received the August 2013 box and I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. I was very happy with my first box from them. Bark Box is a monthly subscription for your canine companions. I have two pups and I am always looking for new ways to entertain them and new treats...I unfortunately can not take my pups to the pet store with me because they mark everything in sight so this is a good option for me. The website to order is https://barkbox.com/r/44zeQ2tn5W They, like most box subscription companies have several options available- one month for $29, 3 months for $24 a month or 6 months for $19 a month. Add them on facebook for discounts, thats how I first heard of them! I think its important to mention that all of their items come from North or South America which is great for food safety. Below is a picture of the box and a first look when opening the package:

Below is a real first look once you open the paper the product is wrapped in:

Right away I was impressed because there were items that I had never seen or heard of in the box and so many full size/non sample items. This is the card that came with the box, it explained what the items in the box were and where you could purchase them online.

The first item in the box was the Hear Doggy whale - it has a squeaker that dogs can hear but people cannot...when you squeeze the whale it sounds like air is leaking out of it...barely audible...no way that my dogs who LOVE squeaky toys would like it right:

WRONG! My dogs couldn't get enough of it...in fact before I could take it completely out of the packaging they were going so crazy, I could not get a picture of them sitting still with it. I also ordered a bark box for my moms two poodles and she tells me the fight over this toy daily...we will be purchasing more of there! Especially for one of my moms dogs who loves to squeak toys whenever someone calls on the phone! I wish we heard of this toy years ago. I found this online for $9.99 Next item was a sample of The Honest Kitchen's Ice Pups...looks like a really cute idea...on one side of the package there are instructions to make a icy treat for your dog and if you flip the package over there are instructions on how to make a broth for your dogs with the mix. I think it's a great idea, just haven't gotten to try it yet because that would require me actually making room in my freezer for an ice tray! I should add this was the only sample in the box. This item is sold for $0.99 per packet.

The next item in the box was Barkworthies Natural Hickory Beef Treats. My dogs loved these...they are rather small though, even for my 10 pound dogs, they seem like they would be great training treats. I found that I kept giving my dogs several every time I opened the package because they were small. As a warning there is a very strong hickory smell when you open the package. These are sold by the case on the Barthworthies website - 12 in a case. The value of one would be $6.30

Next was the Primal Freeze Dried Liver Munchies. My dogs have had freeze dried liver before and loved it, this was no different. I found these online for $6.99 which really is a good price compared to what I have paid before for freeze dried liver and this is a bigger bag than what I bought.

The last item in the box is something I had never heard of and was really impressed with! Barkworthies Bully Flakes. My dogs are huge fans of bully sticks - we order them in bulk. I have never met a dog that doesn't like bully sticks. I do know quite a few dogs that are picky and wont eat their food. Mix some bully flakes in with their food and the idea is that they will eat the food and not just the flakes out...I think its a great idea. My dogs aren't picky though, and they are smart enough to eat around the food to get to the flakes. I just put two little piles of the flakes on the floor for them to try and let them have at it - they continued licking the floor long after the flakes were gone. This item is also sold by the case - the value of just one 4 ounce bag is $5.25

Overall I am impressed with this box! The total value was approximately $29.52 which is great for me since I bought the 6 month plan that only cost $19 per month. The size of the items in the box were great, the amount of product and quality were all better than what I was expecting. I am excited to find Barkworthies and Hear Doggy, two companies that I had never heard of before this but my dogs love their products. I am sad to say that this box has me hooked...I will definitely recommend them to friends and family and I plan on ordering some subscription boxes for me...hey, the dogs can't be the only one getting fun surprises every month!

Subscription Boxes

I first came across subscription boxes thanks to an ad for bark box on Facebook. I had no idea that there are subscriptions for every possible thing a person could be interested in: food, babies goods, pets, sex, cosmetics, crafts, sunglasses, purses, clothes, organic items, things for both men and women...I must say its only been two weeks since I bought my first box and I'm already hooked. In all, I've revived 5 boxes so far with more on the way. Monthly subscription boxes are a great way to try new items that you have been interested in but didn't want to take the plunge and buy and also I great way to find new items. I plan to review my boxes as I get them on this site.