Subscription boxes are all the rage these days, and for good reason: they save people time.
With the internet we have more options than ever before, with more information than we know what to do with.
By supplying members with a monthly box of food, clothes, or other products, subscription boxes save people the time of gathering information and making decisions about what brand/type/style to purchase.
Subscription boxes also allow subscribers to rely on expert advice.
For example, many of the clothing subscription boxes assign a personal stylist to each subscriber who picks out clothes for you.
And the whole “delivered to your doorstep” is pretty appealing as well.
Read on to see if one of these 10 top subscription boxes are calling your name.
Food
HelloFresh
HelloFresh is a weekly food subscription box that saves subscribers time by providing recipes created by their chefs with all the pre-measured ingredients. They say that their “meals are interesting yet simple. And we ensure that your diet is balanced and varied.”
They have three types of boxes. The first is their Classic Box, which includes meat-based meals. They also have their Veggie Box, for vegetarians. Finally they have a Family Box that
Cost: From $8.75 per person per meal (includes shipping)
Frequency: Weekly
Use our link and enter the code FRESH25 for $25 off your order.
NatureBox
NatureBox is a snack box that is committed to providing snacks that are better for you. They guarantee that their snacks have simple ingredients, no artificial “junk” (colors, flavors, or sweeteners), no high fructose corn syrup, no MSG and are less than 200 calories per serving.
NatureBox groups their snacks into three categories: healthy, smart, and crave. Besides their regular snack offerings, they also offer vegan and non-GMO options.
Cost: 5 snack option is $19.95 + Shipping; 10 snack option is $32.95
Frequency: Weekly, Bi-Weekly, or Monthly
Graze
Graze is a snack subscription box. There are over 100 nutritious snacks in their portfolio and provide 8 snacks per box.
Graze promises that it snacks have:
- No genetically engineered (GM) ingredients
- No artificial flavors or colors
- No high fructose corn syrup
- No trans fat
Cost: $11.99 per box
Frequency: Weekly
Wine
Club W
Club W is a monthly wine subscription box that sends 3 or more bottles of wine each month. The base package is 3 bottles of wine at $13 per bottle.
Club W builds relationships directly with vineyards and farmers to provide wine at the best price possible. They source from vineyards around the globe. They also attempt to match the wine they ship to the taste preferences of each individual customer.
Cost: Starts at $39 for 3 bottles; free shipping included for 4+ bottles
Frequency: Monthly
Clothing
Fashion Stork
Fashion Stork is a clothing subscription box for men. After signing up and inputting your size and styles, a stylist picks out 2-4 clothing items that get sent out each month.
Fashion Stork donates $1 towards adoption funding for orphans as well as funding for improving living conditions at orphanages.
Cost: $75
Frequency: Monthly
Stitch Fix
Stitch Fix is a clothing subscription box for women. A personal stylist is assigned to each user. The stylist ships out five clothing items based on your preferences.
You only pay for what you keep, but you do get a 25% discount if you keep all 5 items. The stylist fee is $20, which is applied towards the final purchase price.
Cost: Average cost is $55 per item; 5 items would come to $275 before any discounts (25% discount applied if you keep all 5)
Frequency: Monthly
Trunk Club
Trunk Club is a men’s subscription box targeting the higher-end market. Like other clothing subscription boxes, each subscriber is assigned a stylist.
Prices run high for Trunk Club. For example, their prices are in the following ranges: Jeans are $170–$250 per pair, casual shirts are $100–$200 each, and sweaters are $100–$300 each.
If Trunk Club is out of your price range but you still like the idea of a monthly clothing subscription box consider checking out Fashion Stork.
Cost: $100+ per item
Frequency: Monthly
Beauty
ipsy
ipsy is a monthly beauty production subscription box. Actually, it’s a bag, which they refer to as a “monthly glam bag.”
Each month 5 beauty products are sent out to subscribers. The products are a combination of deluxe samples and full-size beauty products.
Cost: $10
Frequency: Monthly
Birchbox
Birchbox is a monthly beauty product subscription service that sends out sample-size products to subscribers. Similar to ipsy they send out 5 products per month.
Cost: $10
Frequency: Monthly
Dogs
BarkBox
BarkBox is a dog toy, gift, and treat subscription box. The boxes are tailor-made for the size of the dog.
Of all the subscription boxes on this list, BarkBox offers the greatest variety. From dog size, to size of the box, to frequency of delivery, BarkBox offers a wide variety of options.
Cost: $19, $21, $24, or $29 options
Frequency: 1, 3, 6, or 12 month plans available
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These 10 subscription boxes are all good ones to check out, especially if you are new to subscription boxes.
One of the nice things about subscription boxes is that you can typically start and stop without incurring a fee. Many brands also offer deals and discounts to first-time customers.
Have you used subscription boxes before? Which of the ones we listed sounds most interesting to you?
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I think I’m too picky to ever do a subscription service. I would want to return the stuff half the time!
We tried a few of the food ones as they had reached out to me through the site. I think they can be good though it’s important to remember many won’t replace actually going to the grocery store and may cost you more in the long run. That being said, I think if you’re looking for new ideas or wanting someone else to manage things for you they can be good.
I tried Hello Fresh once through a promotion. I liked the concept, but wasn’t impressed with the recipes. Blue Apron is another similar service that may be a viable option.
The Bark Box is such a good idea! I wonder if there’s something similar for cats.
holly@clubthrifty.com Haha I could see that Holly! I’m actually really picky too but I think I’m going to give Fashion Stork a try. It’s really affordable and I spend way too much time picking out clothes. I’d rather someone else pick them out and worse case scenario I return them.
FrugalRules Yeah you definitely have to factor in that you are likely going to pay for the convenience of having someone else pick out things for you. I plan on giving fashion stork a try within the next month or so.
Aliyyah Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I’m sure there are boxes for cats but probably just not as big of companies as Bark Box. I have two cats so if there is a good one for cats I’d be interested in giving it a try.
I had ipsy for awhile and really loved it! But after maybe 10 months I was drowning in makeup and cancelled it. It ended up being way more makeup than I could use!
We’ve tried our local CSA and Blue Apron and felt that both weren’t worth it at their regular pricing. A box of fruit and vegetables for 2 weeks didn’t last more than a week and cost $30-$40. We can get a two week supply of self selected produce for $15-25 at our local produce shop.
Blue Apron is really specific in the ingredients they supply and it’s all premeasured but they use so much prepackaging it only saves a small amount of time by the time you liberate and organize everything. The cost of the meals are nearly the same as that of take out, and their recipes are a lot more work than I’d ever usually pick. I like the idea but I wish I could narrow down the recipes by level of complexity! :)
I’ve never used subscription boxes before, but Fashion Stork and Hello Fresh look pretty cool.
SimplySave Thanks for sharing your thoughts! My wife just signed up before this post went live so we’ll see what she thinks of it : )
Jason @ The Butler Journal You and I think alike, Jason! I plan on trying out Fashion Stork sometime soon and Hello Fresh is another subscription box that I have my eye on.
RevAGSL Great feedback! Others have mentioned Blue Apron and that’s one of the companies I haven’t looked into. I’m curious how they’d compare to Hello Fresh.
jdonovanart Wow this was such a humbling comment! You have no idea how much your last few sentences mean to me. Wow!
It sounds like you are the expert when it comes to subscription boxes! I would really like to give HelloFresh a try. It seems like it would save a lot of time and energy since my wife and I would have one less meal to plan for.
I had barkbox for my pup for 6 months and loved it! He got so excited when the packages would be dropped off at the door and now everytime I open a package he thinks it’s for him!
One recommendation to get the most out of barkbox – if you have an “extreme chewer”like my dog, see if you can upgrade your box. My dog would rip apart the stuffed toys they would have in the regular box in two seconds. I didn’t realize until the end that you could upgrade the box. This is actually making me want to re-start up the subscription again! Oh and this goes without mention but get a coupon code to save money.
I signed up for Stitch Fix but I have yet to use the service yet. I love the concept, but of I want to keep the items, it sounds like quite a bit of money to spend clothes considering my low clothing budget currently. I believe they offered me an extra discount though so I really want to try it at least once, maybe when I have a special occasion coming up or something.