Those of you who know me know I have an addiction to shopping. It's borderline to the point of needing rehab. If you didn't know me when I was younger, you wouldn't know that I have also always loved samples of products. I remember being little and sending away in the mail for samples of shampoo, body lotion, and beauty products. They were literally the kind you get in a tiny perforated packet, but I loved them (weird, I know). Some things never change. I'm still in love with getting samples of products, so much so that I subscribe to companies who send monthly boxes of these little samples. I'd like to tell you about the two to which I currently subscribe, along with other options for those of you who may not enjoy the same things as I do! I would also like to preface this post by saying I am not sponsored or receiving monetary gain in exchange for promotion for any of the following products/services (although that would be really cool!).

The first monthly subscription service I use is Birchbox. I have been subscribing to Birchbox for about a year and a half. The way it works is: you fill out a "beauty profile" (i.e. products you like, your skin tone/complexion type, and the types of products you use or would like to use) and  for $10 every month the magical beauty fairies at Birchbox put together 5-6 samples of beauty products. Each month, they also send an email describing what will be in the upcoming month's box, along with sample choices you get to choose. Imagine my delight when I get options on samples to receive in the mail! It kind of makes my day every time...

Perks: 
-Cumulative points you can get by quickly reviewing your samples; they add up & you get to "spend" them on full-size products!
-Adorable packaging-- each month's box has a different design. I'm actually hoarding my boxes in my closet right now because someday I will need 15 small boxes for something, right?
-High quality-- Some of the sample brands I have only seen in magazines & are WAY too expensive for me to ever buy full-price, so I love feeling luxurious for the 5-6 uses I have them. ;)

What I Would Change:
-Delivery-- It takes FOREVER for the box to come. Often, it takes a week to get my box after it's been shipped, and this cost me a lipstick sample once, because it melted. :(
-More brand variety-- Oftentimes, Birchbox recycles the same samples and brands. I like to keep it fresh and try things I've never heard of before, not just a different shade of the same nail polish.

Told you...I'm a box hoarder!

The second monthly box service I subscribe to is for runners! It is called Stridebox. I couldn't decide whether or not to buy into this one, but decided to very recently and have received one box so far. I am thoroughly impressed by this service! For $15 each month, I get 7-10 samples of "runner stuff", including nutrition, apparel, and recovery items. This month I got an energy bar, some pre-run snacks, energy tea, pain cream, and several other LARGE sample products. I don't use a ton of running nutrition products, so this is handy to find which ones I should start using more. 

Perks:
-Thorough info-- I really like the card insert that describes all of the samples included in the box. For example, I received an energy bar and the card says it is best to eat the bar before or after a run; others say to use during, or anytime. It is nice to have that info for proper fueling!
-Sample sizes-- As I mentioned above, the sample sizes are enormous compared to most samples! I would even consider some of them "mini full size" because to me they are larger than samples.
-Feeling like an athlete-- Receiving these samples & the information with them makes me feel like a legit runner (maybe that's an issue to be taken care of another time) ;)

What I Would Change:
-No Points-- Unlike Birchbox, Stridebox doesn't have a cumulative points system to be used as a discount on future purchases of full-size products and I wish they did.
-I don't know what else I'd change yet, as I just became a subscriber and haven't found many flaws yet! :)

This month's Stridebox swag!

You might be saying, Jen, I HATE beauty products and I HATE running so thanks for wasting my time. To you I would say keep reading! These days, sample subscriptions have caught on and can be found in just about any realm you might be interested in. In a quick search online I found NatureBox, which is healthy snacks (um, yum!); I also found Faithbox (Christian and faith-centered items); and the WODbox (for all you cross fitters I envy and admire so much); the last "box" is Stitchfix, a monthly clothing delivery based on your clothes preferences. I have had friends who have subscribed to Stitchfix & have done some personal research myself, and have to say that at this point I'm still on the fence about it!

The jist of this post is to get out of your daily routine, buying the same deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo, and conditioner; or snacks; or workout gear; every time you go to the store. TRY NEW THINGS! Branch out! It's only 10-20 dollars a month to find new things you will likely fall in love with...so just do it!

PS With snack sample boxes, make sure they're aware of any allergies/sensitivities
PPS What are some sample companies I didn't mention that I should try?!