Graze vs NatureBox – Subscribing to a Healthier Lifestyle

No I am not addicted to monthly product subscriptions. Ok, maybe just a little. The trend continues with this belated Graze vs NatureBox head to head comparison. Each of these services promise to ship you healthy and delicious snacks direct to your door. Ideally you’ll munch on these nuts and fruits instead of chips and candy. 

Two updates from Graze and NatureBox at the end of this post, yay for Twitter!

Grave-vs-NatureBox

Both of these services provide healthy snacks delivered to your door. With over 25% of American’s calories coming from snacks, choosing healthy options is important. We have an obesity epidemic here and improper snacking is the number one cause of childhood obesity. This is something both of these companies hope to turn around by making a healthier lifestyle as easy as possible.

But how do these two services compare? Is one better than the other and which one is best for you? Well I get into all of that and more just beyond the break! Continue reading

Birchbox Tortoise Folding Sunglasses

I loved the idea of these sunglasses. I was hovering over the “Buy” button on a pair of Ray Ban folding tortoise sunglasses when I saw these were going to be in my June shipment from Birchbox. So imagine my excitement that I was just about to save around $150!

Update: Birchbox contacted me and are fixing me up! More at the end of this post.

Birchbox Folding SunglassesAnd then they came, in a neat green box and they looked every bit as good in real life as I’d expected. Bigger lenses than the Ray Bans, not my typical style, but considering the price difference it seemed like a worthy replacement.

I should say that these Birchbox sunglasses are also not polarized, have plastic, not glass, lenses and aren’t quite the quality of an Italian sunglass. But for $30 (their retail price), it’s hard to argue against affordable, stylish summer shades. Sadly it wasn’t long before I realized these shades were a bit too shady, and in the worst of ways. Continue reading

The Refreshing May Bespoke Post Has Arrived

I’ve been a member of Birchbox for quite some time now. For $20 a month they ship to my doorstep a box full of products marketed to men. Generally speaking I get one physical product (sunglasses, tie, socks, whiskey stones, leather coasters) that meet or exceed the cost of the entire box. Along with that you might get one full-sized health or beauty product followed by sample sizes of three to five more products.

All in all it’s a decent deal, especially if you’re looking to discover new products. These shipments typically come in at a $30-60 value. However, recently I discovered a heavyweight contender in this space by the name of Bespoke Post. At $45 a month it costs more than twice the price of Birchbox but is it worth it? Why yes it is.

The May Bespoke Post Refresh shipment is a stuffed bag of swag!

The May Bespoke Post Refresh shipment is a stuffed bag of swag!

My first shipment came today and boy was I surprised. Where Birchbox gave me sample sized items, Bespoke Post had full size and travel size items. On top of the fact that the items were so plentiful and large, the bag they came in was worth the cost. The entire box was worth the price of two three nearly four shipments! Let’s break this down. Continue reading