Cheaper TOM Box Alternative from Amazon

My last post was about My Cotton Bunny. I love the idea of a TOM box but don't love the price of the current options out there. I realize these subscriptions are probably doing their best, and maybe they are just more pampering focused, but I am cost focused. I want my money's worth!!!

I'm sure you've heard of Amazon but do you have much experience with their Subscribe & Save service? I sure didn't. I don't exactly need a surprise in a TOM box. Supplies are usually the same month-to-month. I thought I would play around with the service and see what I would come up with. I have always been nervous about Amazon Subscribe and Save. I suppose I just didn't have enough information. I totally trust Amazon as far as payment security goes so why not try it out!

Now with My Cotton Bunny-the packages are SAFE and hygienic. That's great but you also only get one box of supplies with no variance in size. No combos of regular and super there. I don't always need just one specific size. Sizes change as flow changes.

Now, I have a pretty good arsenal stocked but does anyone pay attention to how many supplies they use each month? It's always either I have some or I don't. It's hard to judge if you have "just enough". I don't ever feel like I use that many. It would honestly take me a couple months to get through one box.

Here are some facts about Amazon's Subscribe & Save service:

1. You can save up to 15% on already low prices by having multiple subscriptions.
2. You can cancel or skip a cycle with no commitments.
3. There are more options than just monthly-in fact, I set this up for every 3 months but there are many options.
4. You only pay when items are shipped.
5. NO SHIPPING COSTS

I don't need a whole box of supplies every month-end of story. While monthly shipping is an option-I don't need a monthly delivery. I set these supplies to ship every 3 months. I want chocolate and cheese during my time. I also take Aleve/Naproxen because it's the same active ingredient as Midol Extended Release but cheaper. So those are the basics I had for my box. Here's what I chose for Amazon to send me:

Tampax Radiant Super 16 ct.	$3.37
Tampax Radiant Regular 16 ct.	$3.37
Always Infinity Without Wings 16 ct.	$3.37
Bliss Dark Chocolate w/Caramel 8.6 oz	$3.13
Cheeze It Zingz 12.4 oz	$2.46
Aleve 24 ct.	$3.13
TOTAL:	$18.83

There are a variety of "supplies", some treats, and some pain reliever for yucky feelings. See how this will be $18.83? That is the cost for three months! That means I will average a cost of $6.27/month. In comparison to My Cotton Bunny-that's great saving. I would be getting the exact same amount of supplies-16 ct./month. No little presents but I'm sure I will have other opportunities to spoil myself throughout the month. A 15% discount is reflected because I am getting at least 5 subscription items delivered in the same month.

What do you think? Would you ever consider Amazon as an alternative to a subscription box? My first shipment with this service is expected March 7th and I am totally excited! The best thing-you don't like chocolate? Get gummy bears! It's your subscription so brands and items are completely customizable! I'm sure you can find several items that will work for you.

XOXO,

The Redheaded Life

Get Rewarded for Watching TV

Ahhh! I just realized this post from yesterday never went live! I'm trying to figure out how to write posts in advance and have them scheduled to post. Any help with that would be appreciated.

The Olympics begins tonight! Whoo! I can't wait! Go U.S.A!!! With these games beginning, I'm sure everyone will be a little more attached to their televisions than they usually are! I thought I'd write about one of the rewards programs that I enjoy. This rewards program is an App for iPhone, iPad, or Android and rewards you for watching TV!

The app is called Viggle and it works by recognizing what you are watching by "checking in". You get rewards points for every minute you are checked into a show! The rewards are pretty expensive so for some of you it might take awhile to be able to redeem for anything but why not make your TV time worthwhile? The rewards are not cheap little gadgets either! Rewards are thing like iPads, Dyson vacuum cleaners, cruises, red box rentals and gift cards-my favorite! The gift cards that I have personally seen featured have been from Home Depot, Apple, Starbucks, Amazon, Best Buy, and Barnes and Noble!

Since I have been using Viggle, I have leaned a few really cool pointers! They tell you about special bonus point events on their Facebook page and through e-mail. I estimate that for watching the Opening Ceremony tonight, I'll earn around 500 points! It's totally worth keeping up with what will really rack up the points! Viggle also features a rewards spotlight which is where they will feature a really nice rewards for less points!

Recently, Viggle has partnered with NextGuide to make sure you remember your favorite shows so you can check in! It seems like this will be a really innovative partnership so if you downloads one, you should download the other to see what they have in store!

I have the giggle app on my iPad and it functions quite nicely! What devices will you be downloading Viggle to? I hope you try out Viggle and tell me what you think and how it works out for you! Check out the rewards catalog and tell me what you think would be worth saving up for!

Vigggle's Website
Viggle's Facebook Page

If you would like to find out more about Viggle, I have provided the links to their Facebook page and their website. Viggle does have a referral system but I am unsure of what it consists of exactly. If you want me to refer you, which may include bonus points for you, then comment below with your e-mail address! If you are my friend on any social media site, you can also PM me about Viggle! Until next time!

XOXO,
The Redheaded Life

Get to know me and my blog!

Who's going to gain a legion of loyal followers without establishing a little credibility and sharing about themselves? No one. With that being said, I am dedicating my very first post (hopefully not my last) to that, so here goes nothing. I live in Oklahoma and I do not drive. Therefore, I do a lot of online shopping but I do get out every now and then to see what the brick and mortar has to offer. Usually I am disappointed, but nonetheless, I find some good stuff-things that make me happy. That's why I'm here. I want to share my triumphs with YOU. Yes, you. I'm sure I'm not the only one who gets excited about these things, so I invite you to share with me, as I will share with you.

I graduated college with a B.B.A. in Marketing and have a minor in Professional Sales. That being said, I do not have a lot of money to throw around. I like to make what I do have last and really get the most out of it. I do this by doing a bit of research. I use a couple sites frequently that I will gladly share with you. I will only tell you about three today since there will be plenty of time to share the rest.

The first I will tell you about is Ebates. Ebates has a few commercials so you have probably heard of them but are unsure if they are credible or not. Let me tell you, they are completely legitimate and the whole process is really interesting. Ebates has hundreds of stores that participate with them and if you do a lot of online shopping, it is a community you must be a part of. For every purchase you make, if you complete the purchase through an Ebates link, you get cash back. Essentially, you get paid to shop. They have several different ways to get the cash back such as donate to charity, through paypal, or you can opt for them to send you a check (if your cash back is $5 or more) quarterly. I opt for a big fat check and a few days ago, They gave me the option to immediately redeem for an Amazon e-gift card. Amazon is a site I frequent (I will talk about it shortly), so I took them up on the offer and successfully used the balance on a purchase yesterday.

The next website/store that I want to share my love for is Ulta. Ulta is a beauty store and they are definitely a go to for me due to their coupons, special offers, and rewards program. I have included a link to the earning page of the rewards program. Here's my tip: redeem your rewards at the 250/350/450/etc. balances. Here's why: 100 points=$3.00, which means that every 50 points would be equivalent, to $1.50. However, at the 250 point mark, the reward is $8.00, but when you add it up in 50 point increments, The reward would only be $7.50. You get $0.50 extra if you redeem at 250/350/450, I realize that's not a lot but it is how to maximize Ulta rewards. The entire reward system is consistent with that. It's also worth mentioning the special weeks, birthday months, and promotions where you can take advantage of up to 5X the points.

The last site that I will talk about today is Amazon. Who doesn't love Amazon? Amazon has recently upped their free shipping offer. The offer used to be free shipping on Amazon fulfilled purchases over $25, now the offer is free shipping of Amazon fulfilled purchases over $35 dollars. However, Amazon offers several programs to make purchases even more affordable such as Prime, deals of the day, AND coupons. Yes, Amazon has coupons! With all coupons, some are better than others. Recently, I got 2.00 a Kotex product and got the 24 count wipes for a little over $2.00-shipped, that was a good coupon! Could I have gotten it cheaper? Yes, some people have in fact, by opting in for "subscribe and save" and being Prime members. I am not a prime member, nor have I played around with subscribe and save but the deal I got was good enough for me. I'm not always out for the best deal. If it's a good deal and convenient, I am usually sold.

Hopefully, I have communicated what I want to do. I hope even more, that you enjoy it and are interested enough to give me some opinions, share your stories, share my blog with your friends, and get to know me even more! Stay in touch for good deals, freebies, product testing communities, and subscription boxes. I look forward to next time!

XOXO,
The Redheaded Life