NatureBox vs. Graze box

For the past few months, I've been looking into boxed food subscriptions to take as snacks to college. So far, I have tried out 2 and I wanted to share my thoughts on some of the snacks and the boxes overall.

Nature Box
Nature Box comes nicely packaged. It did however, take about 2 weeks to come to my place from California. I like how Nature Box has dietary needs such as vegan, nut free, milk free, etc. Because you can choose the option where you can pick your snacks yourself vs. it being a surprise, checking off your dietary needs helps in narrowing down snacks you would actually eat.

 

 

Acai Berry Crunch

This was my favorite snack out of the 5 I chose. It was not to sweet or lacking taste and they were the right size (I will explain this below).  

 

 

Whole Wheat Blueberry Figgy Bars

This was my second favorite snack from my Nature Box. I love (granola) bars and blueberries, so putting the 2 in 1 was great! I can't remember, but I think 3-5 came individually wrapped in the orange bag, making it even easier to carry out.  

 

 

Chia Seed Crackers

This was my least favorite snack. I couldn't stand the smell of it, but my sister loved it so I gave it to her! I realized if you don't like a snack, the bag is kind of a waste, but the opposite is also true. You could also have a snack that you love and get a good amount of it to enjoy :)
 

Antioxidant Boost and Tropical Trail Mix

There were a few pieces that I liked in these assortments, like raisins and cashews. I chose to get mixes and realized I won't be doing that anymore because the many different "pieces" together didn't taste good in my opinion and eating them separately took forever! It sounds silly, but I don't want to spend 10+ minutes eating a bag of snacks.

 

Try Nature Box Yourself

I received a $20 box worth of food (expensive for 5 bags) for $10 thanks to a code I used. If you would like to try out some snacks from Nature Box, use this code to receive 50% off your 1st box!

 

*****

Graze
This box is more affordable (nibble box is $6.00 each) and came to my home in about a week. Unlike Nature Box where you can choose the exact snacks you want, on Graze, you either set snacks to try, trash, like, or love. From all the snacks in your tries list (and maybe your like and love list), Graze will send you 4. Like Nature Box, Graze also has dietary preferences like requires a microwave, spicy food, unsuitable for vegans, contains nuts, etc. I don't remember much about each specific snack since I tried these months ago, so I am sorry for the lack of details.

 

The packaging is really sleek and small enough to carry around. I took 1 snack a day to work (in addition to other food) because the amount in each of the 4 snacks is small in comparison to Nature Box. 

 

 

 

I liked these "bar" style Fruit and Seed Flapjacks.

I liked the breadsticks in the Herby Bread Basket.

I  wasn't a fan of the dried bananas in the Triple Berry Smoothie.

 

I realized I don't like walnuts thanks to Rock the Casbah. Seeds aren't my favorites either. Disliked this the most from all 4.

 

Try Graze Yourself

You can get your 1st and 5th Graze boxes free when you join here :)

 

Final Thoughts

I think both Graze and Nature Box are good for different reasons. If you want to spend the extra money on snacks or want big bags, try Nature Box. If you are on a budget or don't mind smaller snacks, try Graze. If you are signing up with the links provided, make sure you check to see if you got the correct offers. Either one would make a nice addition to snacks for school/ college.

 

*****

 

Love with Food

I recently ordered a free box of Love with Food to try out, so once I get that inshAllah I will do a similar post on it. For now, if you would like to take advantage of the free offer from Love with Food, please join here!

My Gift Guide!

Looks like this month is all about random, but inshAllah useful posts ;)

 

I have been in the gift giving mood for the past few months and thought I would make a "guide" aka list :P of what I suggest/ recommend to give to someone special or for a special occasion! I hope this is helpful for someone. I know I will be coming back to this in the future :P

Have an idea in mind
Although it can be a little frustrating, I realized gift giving is more fun when you have some ideas already in mind (or written down ;). For some people, it might also be good to start off with a budget in mind, especially if you are buying gifts for more than 2 people. I personally don't have a budget because I feel that if I am giving gifts because I really want to, especially items I already know I want to give someone, I will buy it no matter what the price is. But then again, with a mindset like mine, you will be in for a shock at the amount you spent and could easily become broke :P I also try to come up with gift ideas of things I would love to receive. For example, if I want to give a few nail polishes, I would give them in colors/ brands I like or would like to try for myself.

Bundle of joy
I like to give a little bundle of gifts because I think there is more of a chance that the person will like something and because it is just fun to come up with different items. Who wouldn't like opening a bunch of gifts?! To make things a little more fun, make the person guess what is wrapped up! After wrapping the gifts, I write a clue on a sticky note for each gift describing what could be inside. For example, for a 5 year journal, I wrote, "Something to look back at after 5 years." Make sure to tell the person to guess first :)

Last minute savior
If you really can't think of anything to give or have little time to get a gift ready, $ would be the last minute savior. Although anyone would like to receive some cash, to some people it looks like little thought was put into the "gift". InshAllah after reading this post, you won't have to resort to this :)

Personalize it!
A card is an obvious thing to add to any gift. If nothing else is personalized, make a card yourself. If you are creative, make the time to personalize/ make a gift. Whether it is a card, scrapbook, album, etc. put some effort into giving at least 1 item that you made yourself. It will make the person feel a little better that someone took the time to make something for them! If you do buy a card, write a meaningful message to add a little something personal.

For any occasion/ gender
1. Gift cards- Find out (casually) where the person likes to shop and include a message with the card.
2. Books- I think books make great gifts, even for those who don't like to read. Find out something the person likes, like a hobby or interest, and give a book on that particular subject. You are sure to find something!
3. Body sets- It is nice to give (and get :) something useful like body lotions, shower gels, fragrance spray, etc. If you know the person likes a particular (type of ) scent or shops at stores like Bath and Body Works or The Body Shop, give them something from there. I think body products like the ones I mentioned can be given to males or females. There are obviously some scents that are more feminine/ masculine than others, so smell different ones before you purchase any for a particular person.
4. Perfume/ cologne- Again, if you know the person's "taste" for scents, you can try giving them a perfume/ cologne (set). This would be easier if you really know the person or they have mentioned liking or wanting a particular scent in the past. Since these are usually more expensive than body sprays, make sure the scent is something you know the person likes and will put to use.

For females on any occasion
1. Jewelry- Find out if the person is into wearing jewelry and what type, but avoid getting something like a ring where you have to know the person's finger size. A nice dainty necklace or stretch bracelet in a style/ color that goes with any outfit would be ideal.
2. Makeup- Again, find out if the person is into wearing makeup, what type, and color. If they are new to makeup, give them something basic like your favorite mascara, nail polish, or lip product (obviously all new). If they like experimenting or are more into makeup, try something like an eye shadow palette, or blush/bronzer duo. Also, you can never go wrong with brushes or helping them restock products you know they like and use ;) Try http://www.bhcosmetics.com/

For males on any occasion
1. Any electronic/ gadget/ tech-y stuff like a micro SD card or flashdrive. You can personalize it by adding pictures of a specific occasion with specific people in it, including the person receiving this! For example, the person's graduation, wedding day, birth of a child, etc.


ETA 10-18-14
For students (if you are a teacher)
Find out their favorite colors, movie/ book characters, and candy (any allergies?), so you can start gathering the below items based on their preferences.
1. candy
2. stickers
3. school supplies
4. coloring book (with crayons ;)
5. educational activity book
6. story book
7. games


By occasion
Graduation
- If it specifically for a high school graduate, look into gifting them a Q &A a Day for College: 4-Year Journal I bet it would be fun to look back through after 4 years of college memories :)

Wedding
- To bring a (newly) married couple a little closer, look into gifting them a cute Our Q&A a Day: 3-Year Journal for 2 People.
- You can never go wrong with a Mr. and Mrs. mug set :P
- If the couple is moving in together for the first time, why not gift them with home necessities/ décor? This could also be in the form of gift cards to stores like Bed Bath and Beyond!

Baby event
- Baby clothes
- Baby toys
- If (new) parents didn't receive a baby's 1st journal/ album from the hospital for them to fill up, then look into buying one for them! Maybe something like this? If you buy it in advance, make sure you know the gender or just keep it gender neutral.
- Pregnancy/ parenting book
- Necessities/ décor for baby's room

Random bits
- Unless you know the person's size or taste for clothes, I wouldn't suggest gifting clothes for those 2 reasons.
- If there is a business/ organization you like and want to support, then add in some of their business cards!
- Something I will try to keep in mind for the future is buying sets of items and separating them for a few different people.

My Updated Wish List/ To-Buy List :) (As of December 2014)

A quickie this week; an update from my last updated wishlist! I've been feeling the need to write this all down for later reference, so I thought I would just update here. Again, this is for myself, but if it gives anyone ideas, great :)

Makeup
concealer (for blemishes and dark eye circles)
nude lipstick (Fairest Nude by L'Oreal??)

Skincare 
face mask

Fragrances 
Première by GUCCI
Chanel Chance eau Tendre
Especially Escada

Tools
Epilator for hair removal (expensive, but saves money and time long term ;)
Personal MicroDerm
Showerhead Filter (ETA 9-6-14)
Something like this hair curler (ETA 11-6-14)

Clothing
cardigans like this one :)
denim jacket
black leather jacket

Accessories
handbag for uni and going out
Chanel inspired crossbody bag, something like this

How to Make Some Extra $$$

I have wanted to do this short little post for a while now and realized I haven't done a random post in a long time! So here it is; some ways I make a little extra cash and other ideas for the future ;) Being the shopaholic that I am, I appreciate some spending money here and there and would rather have a few different sources for $$$ then just 1. Hope this post helps.

Opinion Outpost (please join here :)  

Take online surveys and get rewarded! So far, I've made $35 on OO. Two of my favorite ways to redeem my points are through Paypal (for cash) and Amazon (gift card codes). The only thing that I don't really like about OO is that sometimes after doing a significant portion of a survey, they will say you don't qualify, which means you basically wasted some time. It is still worth trying out for oneself though! (By the way, if any Muslims are wondering whether it is okay to earn money through surveys, this might help.)

Ebates (please join here :)

If you are a shopaholic like me, use ebates.com before making a purchase online from over 1,700 stores! Online shopping has its perks vs. shopping in store, but you can make it more rewarding by getting a percentage of the money back that you spent on your online order. Ebates also has a ton of coupon codes and sometimes do double cash back! For more info. about how ebates works, please go to http://www.ebates.com/help/how_ebates_works.htm

Ebay (please check out my store @ http://www.ebay.com/usr/naturedelight09 :)

I am sure many of you already know about ebay.com, and I would suggest using this site for selling ready made items. I personally feel like it is worth selling items you already have rather than buying new products and selling them on ebay. For example, selling clothes that you don't wear anymore (obviously they should be in good condition and washing and ironing them also helps!) to make some cash worked for me a few times.

Start a business (please check out my site @ http://booksbt12.blogspot.com/ :)

I invested a few hundred dollars from work to start my business, and I suggest others to do the same. Yes, I don't make much of a profit, but for some extra money here and there, it is worth it. Plus, I like the idea of being my own boss :P If you have money to invest, ready made products you want to sell in a "unique" way, try starting a business!

Referrals

I know a few websites where you get rewarded (usually with cash) for getting others to join the site as well, such as Opinion Outpost and Ebates (please join if you haven't already using my referral links above ;) Amazon Student (prime) also gives $10 credit for each referral as well as other perks!

Sell a Service

If you are willing to babysit, tutor students, do makeup on others, etc. to make some money, try it! Know how to "sell"/ advertise yourself first, honestly of course :)