Subscriber Survey: When Did You Know You Were Addicted?

My son actually started me on subs. He wanted Loot crate for his 13th birthday. Then I googled subscription boxes and landed on MSA. I started with Birchbox but quickly expanded to multiple beauty boxes and eventually lifestyle boxes. I think I currently have at least 10. I know I’m addicted because I have more stuff than I could possibly ever use. I’ve had to buy storage/organizer systems. I give lots of things away too. I love MSA and read it daily, sometimes multiple times. My son told me I know so much about sub boxes that I could consult people on what to buy.

I don’t even remember how I found this site but that opened a whole new world for me. I am divorced with no children so these boxes are my Christmas and birthday gifts to me each month. Having no one to answer to about the cost, is both a blessing and a curse. LOL

From the very first box, which I believe was either Glossybox or Social Bliss (miss them). Now, I’m begging to be addicted, but I’ve kind of hit a saturation point where everything seems boring. Same brands (Sooo tired of Benefit), same types of products (pore coverups, black eye liner, yawn). I also think customer service across the board has gone down hill for the ones who hit a peak. Used to love Birchbox, now they are a cluster-mess half the time. I’ve pretty much discontinued all of my makeup boxes (but I hope someday someone one will start something with cutting edge brands). Used to love Target and Walmart boxes, but have gotten the same color Neutregena lip gloss in the last FOUR boxes, lol. Nadine west and Cents of Style are hot messes. sigh

All that said…I love Cairn and Crate Chef; they make me feel new again! 😀 I’m also a bit intrigued by Klover so think they will be my next shot.

I want to say I was addicted as soon as I subscribed to my first box, Birchbox. I have always loved getting packages in the mail (who doesn’t?) and as soon as I realized that subscription boxes were a thing I couldn’t get enough! I went from Birchbox, to Eco Emi, to Ipsy (MyGlam at the time)….the rest is history.

Mine went from 0 to 60 real quick. I signed up for Ipsy, Allure & Birchbox. A few days later, I added Boxycharm & Glossybox to the mix. I couldn’t stand the wait so I back-ordered a few Allure (Sample Society then) boxes just to tide me over til my monthly subs came in. At my highest point, I had 12 monthlies coming in from beauty to snacks to lifestyle boxes.

I can also tell you when the addiction ended. After about 2 years, and storing hundreds of unopened beauty products, I cut loose most of my boxes and now have only 4. To be honest tho, I kind of miss the crazy years of ’15 and ’16. So what if I have an inflatable swan, 14 sea salt sprays and 58 Manna Kadar products I’ll never use. It was fun! 😀

Cirrus Lane 5 years ago for me too😂😂😂

My rationalization:
Now I never need to buy makeup, hair products, etc…and I get much higher quality items for less!
(Hmmmm, I do give a lot away to my three grown girls and my grandchildren though lol)

When I bought two compartmented box from the tool store so I could separate all my different sample tubes – face wash, face masks, primer, eye cream, face cream, night cream, lip stuff, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, hair products, body lotion, nail polish… I need a 3rd box

When in one of the comment threads I suggested there be a subscription addiction help group forum on this website and I was only half-joking.

Way back when, at my peak, I had something like nine boxes if you count ones going to family too. I think I became addicted after subbing to just two because at the time they were so good and affordable (Citrus Lane, women’s Birchbox). I cut back for two reasons. First, some of my most loved boxes ended or the quality went way down, or the quality was never good to start with (e.g. Citrus Lane, women’s Birchbox, men’s Birchbox, Wantables Intimates, Accessories, Fitness, and Clothing…). Second, financial reasons. My spouse’s student loan debt was drowning us (kids, just say “NO!” to student loans). Currently, we’ve made good strides on the debt, but my husband took a lower-paying job, so the boxes drought continues. I still get two subs regularly, and a few subs sporadically (GlobeIn, StitchFix, ModCloth Surprise). I keep coming to this site regularly because I still want all the things, and to scope out LE or one-off boxes that I might get (e.g. Sephora collections or Amazon).

I subscribed to just Birchbox for 3 years. Then I added Ipsy, and Sephora Play! I canceled Birchbox, but I added Beautycon, and then Boxycharm, and then Glossybox, and then I found my subscription addiction, and that was it…….

when I set up an email account just for my subscription boxes and MSA alerts, reviews, spoilers etc.

I knew I was addicted when my Office illiterate self was finally willing to tackle Excel so I could keep track of my boxes.

It’s so nice to see I’m not the only one who’s made spreadsheets!

I knew I was addicted at 2 points:
1. when I had over 35 subscriptions coming to my home, and additional bi-monthly and quarterly ones (I am now down to 17 monthly and 5 bi-monthly/quarterly)
2. when I formally put in for flex-time at work, so I could be home to get my boxes before my partner saw them… I still do this
And bonus: my spreadsheet got more and more refined!!

I LOVE this site!!

my personal beauty box journey:

1. Month one: Allure has a beauty box coupon! Let me subscribe
2. Month two: Allure sucks
3. Thought during month two: Let me subscribe to Boxycharm AND Sephora play to replace the boring Allure spoilers
4. Month four: Allure has spoilers for a product I really want…. ugh
5. Thought during month four: Well Boxycharm + Sephora play never failed me before… so i guess I’ll sign up for just ONE more allure month on top of what I already have
6. Month five: Allure spoils are great again – looks like I have three subs for this month too….
7. Month six – Dangit! I already have three boxes AND BIRCHBOX has a great curated box?????
8. Month seven – Four boxes later – I have my boyfriend sign up for sub boxes under his name for the benefit of promo codes… omg!

LOL
Anyone else relate????? 😛

When I realized that I kept increasing the limit of the amount of money I would allow myself to spend on subscription boxes each month to justify getting the ones I wanted. First it was: $100/month is my limit. Then it was $150. Then $200. When I told myself that $250 wasn’t too far off from $200, I realized I might have a problem 🙂

I’m not sure if I came to this site because I was hungry for more subs than just FFF, BB, Ipsy, and Allure, or if I got hungry for more when I came to this site. But once I got here, and saw how many there are, and had the ability to track the ones I wanted, it was over for me. I now have a calendar where I write in what dates what subs charge and how much, so I can keep my accounts ready. Then I just have fun opening the boxes and using the new stuff. I have cancelled a few, including FFF, that just didn’t make me happy, but probably replaced every one I’ve cancelled with two new ones. Mostly beauty, but a few style/lifestyle too, and I just bought my first snack sub.

I’m not addicted. I can quit any time I want!

(Yet here I am…)

I can’t decide, as I think these all happened at about the same time….

1) When I created a spreadsheet to keep track of them all.
2) When I realized I had… let’s just say a “few” dozen boxes, and it felt totally normal to me. I know that many wasn’t normal, but the constant inflow of a few boxes every day didn’t seem so bad.
3) When I realized that I had spent more on beauty products (via boxes, sales, & GWP offers) by March 2016 than I did throughout all of 2015.

The addiction is still there (I can’t help but check MSA multiple times per day like everyone else!), but I’m much better at not feeding it. I can happily say I’m sub box free! (until BF that is 🙂 )

I was getting Out Of The Box for quite awhile when I found MSA. Wow! I launched into My Bijoux Box and the rush of getting a present 🎁-from me to me, thank me very much- led me to go wild with subs. I’ve since calmed down but still wait eagerly for my boxes to appear magically.

.. when I was looking for a review of a product which was part of an ipsy box so MSA popped up…
…now I’m subscribed to ipsy, birchbox and sephora and the Wal-Mart one!
…every month when it starts raining beauty boxes, my husband asks me “say weren’t you going to cancel one of these?”..and I respond, “wellll I was, but then the spoilers came out and I loved that one item”…and repeat same conversation for next month..
…checking MSA every few hours for updates! #rollshereyes
…but then I read everything all you lovely women have posted and I know I’m not alone in my ‘addiction’.. so yayyy! Thank yu! 😉 <3

From the day I found this site I was hooked. The only time my husband got upset was when the mail, UPS and FedEx carriers started to make a path on the lawn that led directly to the front door. LOL

When I realized I was spending over $500 a month in subscriptions… *innocent looking face*

Lol! Liz that was hilarious! 😂
I keep telling people about boxes every time they mention something they like and I know a sub could be perfect for them. I became an addict on March of last year, the same day I discovered this site! I was looking for Ipsy reviews while I waited for my first Glam Bag and I came across the MSA site. I ordered both FFF and PSMH that day, my husband still remembers because he said “wow I think you have a problem!” I now sub to MANY subscription boxes and have cut some of them back but I’m always looking for new onces or people that could match them lol! I look at this site every morning before brushing my teeth and feel the need to receive something on my mail every day! Lol! So to summarize I basically became an addict when I discover MSA 😂 My husband has learned to accept it and I can’t imagine life without subs! lol!😂

The day I found this site I became addicted to LE and mystery boxes…..its definitely my guilty pleasure!