The lessons that move you forward in life come from some unexpected places sometimes. During 2018, when I was in yoga teacher training, coming out of a depression, and going through some intense personal changes. In the middle of all of this I discovered subscription boxes.
65 plus subscriptions and a year later I had apparently hit my max and simply stopped. That was when I launched into the world of decluttering and organizing and never looked back. Sometimes you have to go so far toward one extreme that you hit your limit, for your true path to become clear.
SUBSCRIPTION BOXES
From here on referred to as “subs”, subscription boxes are generally monthly or quarterly boxes that arrive on your doorstep with an array of surprise goodies in the theme of the subscription. Sometimes you answer questions to enter preferences as in what size you are, what colors you like, etc. Sometimes you get to choose a couple of the items and the rest are a surprise, usually it’s all a surprise.
This is all kinds of fun.
Skincare, cosmetics, candles, essential oils, flip flops, slippers, towels, jewelry, socks, clothing, knick-knacks and tchotchkes.
It was a rabbit hole I didn’t know existed until I had already fallen down into it. I was also something that I didn’t know I needed. Well, I didn’t need all the stuff that entered my home, but I did need the knowledge and discovery that these boxes provided.
There were, of course, pros and cons to them.
Pros
I learned about new things –These boxes provided me with access to the world in a whole new way.
New ideas
New products
Fun things I never would have considered otherwise
It was fun – Each month (often each day) I had packages to open. Little surprises. It was like getting to be a kid again opening presents on Christmas. There isn’t a ton of mystery in our mundane grown-up lives and sub boxes can be a fun way to mix it up.
Cons
It was expensive – The boxes ranged from a few dollars to a couple hundred. Most of them I only got one time, but that was still money spent.
It was clutter – Holy heck, the amount of stuff that entered my home that I did not want or need was amazing. Jewelry that I would never wear, knick-knacks I would never use, the list goes on.
LIFESTYLE BOXES
I’ve divided the box categories into three for simplicity’s sake. Lifestyle boxes are the catchall.
What kind of life do you want to lead?
Are you an adventurer?
Are you a yogi?
Do you need self-care?
Do you want spiritual support?
Do enjoy exploring food?
Are you a bookworm?
No matter what you’re into, it’s out there. From the mild, to the wild. If you want to risk checking out some of the variety of offerings you can go to CrateJoy.com.
Lesson 1: There’s a lot of crap out there that’s really cool and I don’t need!
I had never been much of a shopper of random things. With these boxes I was inundated with randomness.
It confirmed that, as tempting as cool, pretty, and exotic things may be, I don’t need them to live, and in fact they became a burden as I tried to invent uses for them.
Even the ones that I really loved, like GlobeIn that focuses on handmade goods from artisans in impoverished countries, or Buddhi Box which gave me all kinds of fun yoga and meditation-oriented goodies, were, in the end, filled with things that I enjoyed and liked, but didn’t need or love.
Lifestyle boxes I tried:
Beachly, Bombay and Cedar, BookCase.Club, Buddhi Box, California Found, Carnivore Club, CauseBox, FabFitFun, Feeling Fab, GlobeIn Artisan Box, LitterBox, LD Accessories Box, Love Food, Luxor Box, Merkaela, My Reward Box, Oceanista, Om Babes Yoga Box, Orange Peel Box, SnackSack, Sudz and Scrubz, Terra Bella Box, Thera Box, Vella Box, Wanderlust, Yogi Surprise
CLOTHING AND JEWELRY
For whatever reason, at this time, I didn’t like going into stores to shop anymore (this was two years before COVID). That may have actually been a first sign that I was ready for a decluttered life, but, as I said earlier, sometimes you have to go to an extreme before you settle into yourself.
When I discovered clothing subs my mind was blown. Someone will send me clothes that I can try on and send back with no return fees? Yes, please!
The deal with most of them is that you pay a deposit, generally around $20, that you can put toward your purchase. If you don’t buy anything, you lose the deposit. However, if you bought all of the items in the box, you’d get a percentage off the total. Those two things are how they get you.
Lesson 2: Don’t buy something just because it’s on sale, or you don’t want to lose your $20 deposit.
I have the body that I have, and it looks great in some stuff and terrible in other stuff, as is the reality for all of us. Buying clothing for any reason other than that I love it and feel fabulous in it leads to excess and wasted money.
Lesson 3: Don’t try so hard.
I’ve always looked at other women and the effortless style they appear to have, and wanted that for myself. This led to buying clothes that weren’t “me” because I was trying so damn hard to look like someone else. Today, thankfully, my closet is filled only with things I love.
Seriously, I can, and have, gotten dressed in the dark and always come out with an outfit I feel good in. I haven’t done the throw-everything-in-my-closet-on-the-ground-in-a-fit-of-frustrated-rage thing in years. It feels really good.
Clothing boxes I tried:
Beau Undies, Bolzano, Box of Intimates, Cate and Cloe, Emma and Chloe, FFF Style, Fabletics, Frisky Britches, Her Fit Club, JewlyBox, Kinsley Armelle, Kloxet, Mint Mongoose, Nadine West, Niyama Sol, Peach Bottom Box, Puravida Bracelet Club, Puravida Jewelry Club, Skivvie Box, Spandex Box, Stitch Fix, The Lingerie Box, Thread and Flourish, ThreadUp Goody Box, Trendsend, Trunk Club, UnderClub, Wantable, XO, Peachy Box, YogaClub
BEAUTY BOXES
I had been wearing Mary Kay skincare and cosmetics since 2008. It was simple as it was all in one place and I didn’t have to think too hard. Then I discovered there were some questionable practices in the production of their products and in the ingredients. I was lost.
Along came sub boxes filled with an array of beauty items that dazzled me. Eye shadow palettes, skincare, haircare, and beauty tools. For someone who once painted her face blue with eye-shadow (I was about 4 years old) this was Mecca.
Lesson 4: Natural makeup can be quality.
I discovered the natural cosmetics game has come lightyears from where it was when I was in college. I simply hadn’t bothered to search for natural cosmetics because I was stuck in 1994 when the only natural cosmetics to be found were at a small clothing store in Ann Arbor, and they weren’t very good.
Today Tarte, Colour Pop, and Urban Decay are a couple of my faves.
This lesson applied to skincare, too. Grown Alchemist, Sahara Rose, Little Seed Farm, Farmacy, and Vegamour are a few I like.
Lesson 5: You can only use so much.
All cosmetics, skincare, and haircare expire. Few have a shelf life over 2 years, often less once opened and exposed to the air or touched with a brush or skin. I had no ability to use all of the fun stuff that came in these boxes so I ended up throwing much of it out eventually, which was pure waste and against my values.
Now I label each item I purchase with its expiration date and apply the one-in-on-out rule: Buying a new eyeshadow? Something has to go.
Note: Check out my blog on Decluttering Your Bathroom for general expiration rules for beauty products.
Beauty boxes I tried:
Birch Box, BoxyCharm, BoxyLuxe, Club Rapunzel, Dollar Shave Club, Glossy Box, IPSY, IPSY Glambag Plus, Julep Maven, Pearlesque
ONE JOURNEY ENDS AND ANOTHER BEGINS
Do I suggest this route for everyone? Not at all. How could I with the cost and potential wastefulness?
But do I regret my journey? Absolutely, not.
Trying new things is how we grow. And, in the end, this experience was the catalyst to the Decluttering Coaching work that I do today. I discovered what was important to me and what wasn’t. I was inundated with things I didn’t need and was ready to purge my entire house due to the excesses that had filled in the last nooks and crannies.
So, maybe check out a subscription that speaks to you and let yourself enjoy a treat. Try to maintain awareness of what you are benefiting from and whether it outweighs the cost in money, space and energy, or not.
If it gets out of control, you know where to find me for help!