My Subscription Life: Kelly

My Subscription Life is a series designed to help you get to know the MSA team a little bit better. Each profile introduces a different member of the team, showcases their favorite subscriptions, and explores how subscriptions impact their lives. 

This week on My Subscription Life, we're talking to Kelly, who joined the My Subscription Addiction writing team about six months ago. Kelly is based in Boise, but she's traveled a lot, and she used to live in Qatar. (Read on for a very fun story about her time working at a vet's office there!) She has two boys and enjoys seeking out subscriptions that make her life easier. Read on to learn more about Kelly's subscription life!

My Subscription Life: Kelly

Lindsey: Hi Kelly, thanks for taking some time to talk about your subscription life! Can you start by sharing a little bit about yourself?

Kelly: I currently live in Boise, Idaho, and chose this city after doing a nationwide search of areas to live. My family fell in love with the four seasons, easy access to the outdoors, and friendly way of life here. We are actually pretty lucky that we can live anywhere, but Boise won out! I have two little boys (8 and 5) and my days are usually filled with being their Uber driver to and from activities and sports.

I just started volunteering at the zoo one day a week as well. I'm pretty obsessed with animals! When we lived overseas in Qatar, I worked at a veterinarian's office, and you wouldn't believe what some people kept as pets there. Let's just say, I have a couple photos of myself playing with baby lions in the office! (Just to be clear, I do not condone anyone keeping a wild animal as a pet, but they had different rules and laws over there... it wasn't right, but that's the way it was.)

L: What does your average Saturday look like?

K: My average Saturday is usually pretty low key. Our kids are actually great about sleeping in a little bit and relaxing on days where we don't have much to do. Boise actually has a ton of great free events and activities, so I'll look to see if there is anything going on. Otherwise, our week is usually so full that we try and just hang together as a family.

L: Can you describe a memorable vacation?

K: A memorable vacation? Honestly, I've been so fortunate to have had a ton of these. My husband's job actually makes this pretty easy for us, so pre-covid you could always find us jetting off to somewhere with the kids. I think one of my favorite trips though would be when we took the kids to Thailand. My parents and some of our best friends were also able to join us, so it was really memorable having so many people we loved there with us. The only thing that makes traveling better is doing it with those you love!

L: When and how did you first discover subscription boxes?

K: I have to admit, I'm a newbie when it comes to subscriptions. We actually lived overseas in Qatar for a long time, and getting anything delivered there was a pain. We didn't have a mailing address over there (actually we did, but you do not want me to go into the cluster that was mail there!), so I would just be jealous from afar as I saw subscriptions advertised on my social feed, or my friends talk about cute stuff they got. We've been back in the US a couple years now, and I definitely jumped on board with them. I've tried food delivery boxes, clothing boxes, milkman boxes (local subscription!) book club boxes, and kids boxes! 

L: Which subscriptions do you currently receive?

K: I'm currently down to only 3 subscription boxes! Ah! My kids get KiwiCo as well as kidpik subscription boxes, and we have a weekly local milk and food box that comes. 

I recently just canceled my Imperfect Produce box as they added a minimum order charge to each box. As they are all about not wasting food, I thought it was a bit ridiculous to have to order a minimum of food... only for a lot of it to be wasted. 

I also canceled my Stitch Fix subscription about six months ago. When I first started out, I was getting tons of cute clothes and things I still wear today. But as the months went by, I felt the quality of the clothes as well as the variety went down. So... I canceled. Looking at trying another clothing box for myself soon though! 

L: Which is your favorite subscription?

K: kidpik. Shopping for kids clothes is a freaking nightmare. Plus, I have two boys and it really ticks me off that every time I walk into a store, the girls section is about 5 times as large as the boys section. 

L: If you could only subscribe to one box or service, which would it be?

K: Again kidpik. Cute, affordable clothes that I know my kids will wear. They also aren't crazy expensive, so I won't care if my kid has a major growth spurt after wearing the jeans only once! 

L: Describe your perfect subscription. 

K: I'm not a big fan of novelty items. I think everything in a subscription box should be useful. I see a lot of things that look super cute, but when I stop to think about what I would actually use them for, I usually draw a blank. So, my perfect subscription would be a box catered specifically to me and products I would actually use! 

For example, I love spending time outdoors with family, traveling, drinking wine and coffee, snuggling up in warm blankets by the fire, and all things holiday related. So, I would LOVE for a subscription company to ask me these questions about my likes and dislikes in a questionnaire and then actually send me something each month that has to do with the outdoors, traveling, wine, coffee, and holidays.

L: Which subscription item that you’ve received in the past is the most memorable? 
K: So, I'm going to be annoying and not pick just one thing. I think all subscription boxes in general have made an impact on me. It's honestly the ease at which they come. It takes a lot of the stress out of the day. I already have so much going on, and I feel like my mind is pretty chaotic half the time. Knowing that I have the basics like milk, eggs, bread, etc. coming every week, and that my kids are going to have clothes for each season just makes being a mom that much easier. And honestly, I really appreciate that. Especially in these crazy times we are in!

L: People gravitate to subscriptions for different reasons. What are your primary reasons for subscribing?
K: A little bit of everything I guess. There is something really fun (like waking up on Christmas morning) about opening the box to see what has arrived. I actually prefer the boxes that don't let me pick what's inside as I think thats half the fun. But again, it's also for the ease of life that they bring and also many times it does save us money. Which I love! 

Thanks so much, Kelly!

Questions for Kelly? Jump into the comments section below!