My Cotton Bunny March 2014

This is my last My Cotton Bunny Bundle. I'm just so sad about this subscription service. I feel like there's so much potential there but they are not changing with what's demanded in this market.

I did change it up this month with what I could choose. It is so easy to update your profile to select what brand of products you want if you want a little change. This month, I decided to get the O.B. regular tampons. Here's a picture of the whole box:

I can say that I have always felt that I got what I paid for. My Cotton Bunny is $16/month. In the top left you can see a bracelet-that was the bonus for completing last month's challenge. To the top right are 3 yoga headbands. You can see the 18 ct. regular o.b. tampons, a luna protein bar, A KurFoods Delights in Dark Chocolate Mint, some bow hair ties, and a wipe? I'm not sure that is a wipe. There wasn't any information about it on the card but given the nature of the box-that would be my best guess. 

The bracelet. I got the same bracelet in a different color in my bundle last month. I am not really into pink. I'm sure I can find someone to give it to. Sharing with a friend is what the card suggests to do with it-give it to a friend. This is supposed to be a present to spoil myself with during my time of the month and you want me to share with a friend? I will. BUT, that is NOT the point of this box. Obviously, they had leftovers from last month. This is the bonus so I don't mind but isn't my idea of pampering. There is no brand associated with this bracelet. Last month I assigned a value of $7.00 to this bracelet because I saw a similar bracelet online. This is being generous to the value but I will do the same this month.

The headbands are always great. I frequently use things like this so these are a welcome addition to my collection. There was no brand associated with these but I found some Goody Headbands at Walmart that I will compare these too in the sense of price and quality. The quality of these was not so good. I will have to cut the strings off on all three! I will use them and am happy I got them.

The Luna Protein bar. I am excited about this. I love bars. Sometime's I am just not very hungry but sill want to make sure I will have some energy. This bar is packed with protein so it will be a good one. I haven't eaten it yet but I sure will! The flavor I received was Chocolate Peanut Butter.

The KurFoods Delight in Dark Chocolate Mint. I ate this as soon as I opened my box! I love chocolate and mint together. These bites are vegan and I'm not sure but I believe the majority of this treat is made of dates. I love things like this that are healthy but packed with flavor. I even looked online to purchase more-maybe in a different flavor to try them all out!

The bow hair ties. Whomp whomp. What in the world are these? Are things like this in style? I think they could be cute if carefully planned with an outfit. I couldn't find anything like these though to compare and determine a price for my box total. There were some DIY hair ties that people had posted as arts and craft projects. They are supposed to have a little star charm on one end but my charms were missing and there was just little rings. I pulled the rings out and if I wear them, I like them without the charms anyway. There is no brand associated with these hair ties.

The possible wipe. Believe it or not, I am most excited about this wipe. The fact that this was included hints that My Cotton Bunny is starting to change and get in the TOM box competition. There are quite a few TOM boxes and all of them include little extras like this.

Here's what I estimate the box to be worth:

O.B. Regular Tampons 18ct.	$4.99
Bracelet	$7.00
Luna Protein Bar	$1.25
Hair Ties 2ct.	???
Yoga Headbands	$2.39
Delights Dark Chocolate Mint	$1.00
Wipe	???
TOTAL	$16.63

You get what you pay for with this box and that's great! However, with subscription boxes the expectations are higher. Well, my expectations are higher. I really enjoyed My Cotton Bunny, I enjoyed the concept. For me, the value just wasn't there. My Cotton Bunny is a small business and I am all for supporting small businesses but there are many more small businesses out there that I'm ready to give a try! 

My Cotton Bunny's bonus challenge this month was to e-mail them for any improvements or suggestions. This tells me they really do care what their subscribers want and are attempting to get that information. Even though I won't be getting another box, I still plan to e-mail them and give my suggestions. Who knows maybe I will give My Cotton Bunny another try in the future!

Do you have any suggestions for what I should try out next? Let me know in the comments but please do not bombard me with referral links. If I am interested, I will ask you! 

XOXO,

The Redheaded Life

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

My Cotton Bunny February 2014

HERE WE GO. I am finally writing a post about My Cotton Bunny. My Cotton Bunny is a Time of the Month Box (TOM Box). Let me say this, TOM boxes are a WONDERFUL idea. I can't tell you how much I am in love with the idea. However, out of all my subscriptions, this is the one that I just can't wrap my head around cost wise. Normally, My Cotton Bunny is $16/month, there are some promo codes that float around occasionally and if you use someone's name at checkout-the "referrer" and the "referee" are supposed to get 20% of their order refunded back to them.

When I signed up for My Cotton Bunny, I had a promotional code for 20% off my order. I could have signed up for a monthly subscription but I would've only gotten the discount on one box and I wanted to give them a fair shot and judge the subscription over several months. I signed up for the quarterly subscription-which means I was billed for three months at one time. A quarterly subscription to My Cotton Bunny is $45.60 which averages out to $15.20/box. As I mentioned, I had a promotional code so I paid $36.48. This gave my boxes an average cost of $12.16/box

February is my second box so I will get one more. With the average cost of each box I have been completely satisfied with what I have received. Here's what I got in February:

I really like the bracelet in the top right. There were several colors sent out. I actually saw some very similar ones advertised though a "deal" site the other day. There is no brand or price attached to the one I received so I will use the price I saw for them in my price breakdown. 

The necklace was low quality. It's a heart-one side is a set gem and the other side is silver with love on it. I was not impressed. The gem looks like it is coming out and when I contacted the company, they said that all the necklaces were set like that-I doubt it but it wasn't worth picking a fight over. There was also no brand or price attached to this necklace but I'm sure it would bring the total up to at least $16-so you'd be breaking even if you had paid for this box.

The snack crackers are Back to Nature Crispy Wheat crackers. They are reminiscent of Wheat Thins. I am a fan of Wheat Thins so I did like these.

Who doesn't love Nutella? I wish there was more!

The Galleon Tea was a flavor called "Tart Berries". This tea was composed of dried berries and smelled delicious. I didn't even want to drink it because it smelled so good. I did drink it and it was also delicious, I didn't even need to add honey! There was no price associated with one lonely tea bag but definitely a high quality tea. 

I like a diverse supply. You can get the same box of supplies every month but I like to switch it up. This month, I chose a box of Tampax Radiant Super. My Cotton Bunny does not open any boxes. There are other TOM boxes but with My Cotton Bunny you can rest assured that no packaging was tampered with. 

There is also an option for a bonus as long as you complete the previous month's challenge (in my experience,  the challenges are through different social media platforms). I did the challenge on Instagram for January but no extra bonus. I contacted My Cotton Bunny and they said it would be included in my next box. We will see. However, if it is then the value of the box would go up!

Here's what I estimate the box to be worth:

Bracelet	$7.00
Galleon Tea	$1.00
Back to Nature Crackers	$0.45
Nutella	$0.50
Tampax Radiant	$4.00
Heart Necklace	$3.05
TOTAL:	$16.00

What do you think? Would this box be worth it to you? It's so convenient and a package in the mail is always a pick-me-up! Would this make you (or someone you know) smile during that time of the month? My March box will be my last box but I did try something new as an alternative to a TOM box. Make sure you follow so you know how to get started on your own personalized, cost-efficient TOM box!

XOXO,

The Redheaded Life