Ten Subscription Boxes You Need in Your Life

Subscription boxes are a big hit right now. Everyone knows about Birchbox subscriptions for makeup and Barkbox for your fur-babies. Well, there are more options than just those. The folks over at Cratejoy and Quarterly.co are bringing you more options than you could ever imagine!

1. For the fashionista: StitchFix

Ok so Debbie LOVES this one. The way it works is you pay a flat $20 fee each month for the shipment. After signing up, you take a detailed style quiz where they determine your personal style and ask for ALL of your measurements to ensure a perfect fit. Then, once you've received the five specially selected items, you just select the ones you want to keep and ship back the rest. The billing process is a little tricky. If you choose to keep all five items, you'll receive a discount on your purchase. However, if you only choose to keep a few, you return the ones you don't want (at no charge), and the pieces you do keep, you'll be charged for, minus the $20 you've already paid. Plus, each selection (and return) updates your style profile on their site, so next month's shipment is more tailored to your style.

2. For the chef: Blue Apron

This is such a fun idea for both the burgeoning culinary genuis and the complete amateur. There are two options to choose from: either the 2-Person Plan, with three recipes per week (each meal serves two) for $59.94 a week, or the Family Plan, with either two or four recipes per week (each meal serves four) for $69.92 a week. Each box contains fresh ingredients and a recipe. Since dietary restrictions are so common, Blue Apron asks a few profile questions before payment including what types of meat you will eat and whether or not you are a vegan. Bonus: this is the only subscription box featured that allows you to select your delivery date. Because some days of the week are just better for cooking than others. When you make your purchase, you are assigned three meals, but it is easy to swap recipes if some don't suit your palate.

3. For the bookworm: Book Riot

BookRiot is a quarterly subscription, which means you only receive it once every three months. For $50, you will receive a themed box of book-themed goodies including 2-3 books and a handful of literary loot. Previous boxes have had thematic jewelry, mugs, cups, posters, bookmarks, calendars, and even sometimes notes from the authors whose books you're receiving. Book Riot also comes in a young adult version, if that's your personal preference!

4. For the snacker with a heart of gold: Love With Food

This amazing company offers so many options that we can't choose. Their Snack Box is $7.99 a month and you'll receive eight to ten different all-natural organic snacks, a meal donated to a hungry child in America (they've donated over 400,000 meals so far), and ten points (I'll tell you about those in a minute). The Deluxe Box is $16.50 a month with 16-20 snacks, two meals donated, and twenty points. The Gluten Free Box is $19.99 a month and includes 15-20 snacks, two donated meals, and twenty points again. Now, the points can be redeemed to purchase any of the snacks you liked on their online store.

5. For the wine-lover: Glassful

When you sign up for Glassful, you take a quick quiz on your favorite scents and flavors. Then, once you've purchased your $54 subscription, you'll receive three full-sized bottles of wine a month based on that flavor profile. Each month, you get totally new brands and flavors. If you really like a bottle, definitely go to their online store and pick up a few more.

6. For the bride-to-be: Unveiled

Unveiled has two amazing options for the future bride. The first is the bi-monthly Bridal Box ($29.00), which features an assortment of health and beauty items. The second is this adorable Bridesmaid Ask Box ($40.00) which comes with a "Will you be my bridesmaid?" card and an array of beauty, health, and even planning products to get your bridesmaids ready for the big day!

7. For the expectant parents: 21 Bundles

This box is just so special. It's our only limited subscription, but you'll understand why it's so great in a moment. When you find out your due date, you put that into their system. And they'll send you one box each month for the full nine months of your pregnancy (or however long you have until the due date) and then one box each month for the baby's first year. The subscription is $39.99 a month and auto-renews each month. All of the items are tailored to the specific month of the mother's pregnancy or the baby's age. Each Bundle includes a total of 5-8 full sized all-natural baby items, samples, and sometimes even coupons totalling from $50-$80 in regular retail value.

8. For the candle-obsessed: Flickerbox

Candles can be so incredibly relaxing, but finding a favorite scent can be (paradoxically) kind of stressful. Enter Flickerbox. Each month (or every other month), for $34.00, you will receive a small collection of hand-poured, small-batch, artisinal candles from all over the country. Our favorite part about this box is that once you've found a scent you like, it's super easy to track down the company and purchase a larger candle... or six.

9. For the coffee connoisseur: Craft Coffee

Do you always get the same coffee from the grocery store? Guilty. Those pre-ground bags of Community Coffee tend to be a little stale. Plus, buying the big bags just means your coffee definitely won't be fresh by the time you finish your bag. Craft Coffee allows you to purchase either one bag of their suggested coffee (based on your current preferred coffee) every two weeks or two bags every four weeks. The latter option comes with a free upgrade to priority mail and 2-day delivery (saving $10 a delivery on shipping alone). You could even select a custom delivery cycle if you're a more sporadic or voracious coffee drinker. Their website even totes a 100% satisfaction guarantee as well as easy changes to delivery dates and the availability to skip shipments.

10. For the too-busy-to-travel-traveler: Hammock Pack

We've saved our favorite for last. This box is just SO much fun. Each month you receive a curated collection of items from different cities across the country. These are not tchotcke souveniers. They are locally made foods and items for the home. Each pack is geared towards women, so the items include bath items, housewares, accessories, and like items. Previous packs have featured items from Philadelphia, San Diego, and Austin. January's box is New Orleans themed, which we love! Louisiana love all around. Like I said, each box contains locally made items from each city, so you know that you're purchasing from small businesses and not big corporate souvenier-machines.

It would be impossible to give you ALL of the best subscription boxes because it really feels like there are infinite options. But these are just a few of our favorites. Why don't you tell us some places from whom you're buying subscription boxes? We'd love to get more gift ideas!