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Last Updated: Oct 2024

Top 10 Monthly Subscription Boxes for Gifts

Whether you love makeup, books, gourmet food, or gaming collectibles, there are plenty of "of the month" subscriptions to satisfy your craving.

Add some excitement to your life with an “of the month” subscription

There’s nothing quite like getting a box full of goodies delivered to your door each month. What’s better—you get to choose the kind of goodies you want!

Remember when you were a kid in sleepaway camp, and your parents sent you a care package stocked with goodies, snacks, a comic or two, and other “necessities?”

Remember how you took the package, ripped it open with growing anticipation, and felt your smile spread as you sifted through Cheetos, Oreos, and your other favorite treats?

Wow, what a feeling!

Of course, now you’re an adult, and no one’s sent you a care package in years. Anything you need, you can buy for yourself, at the store or online. And when you order something online, you know exactly what’s in the package when you open it.

Yep, life as a grown up is pretty boring.

Unless, of course…

Unless you decide to treat yourself to a monthly subscription box filled with your favorite things. These are carefully curated boxes are filled with grown-up goodies and treats, which can take the form of makeup, clothes, gourmet foods, books, and more.

When you order these “of the month” subscriptions, you can recreate (or create anew) the feelings of joy and wonder you experienced when you opened those care packages as a kid, when you pulled out surprise after surprise, treat after treat. (And if you never went to sleepaway camp or got a package, trust us—it’s a good feeling!)

Sounds pretty good, huh?

What’s more, with these subscriptions, you get to indulge your innermost passions without having to spend time that you don’t have.

How Do “Of the Month” Subscriptions Work?

If you’ve read until this point and are thinking, what the heck is an “of the month” subscription?, this is for you:

“Of the month” subscriptions are like magazines; just like you can subscribe to a magazine and get it delivered in the mail to you for a certain cost every month, you can sign up for any “of the month” subscription and receive a box delivered to your door every month (or in some cases, every week or season). What’s actually in the box depends on what subscription you sign up for. Likewise, the cost of the box depends on the company you choose.

You sign up for these boxes on the company’s website; in some cases, you can pay for a one-off delivery to see if you like the box. Other sites only allow yearly subscriptions, which means that when you register, you commit to automatic renewal and are charged every month.

Something For Everyone

What’s great about “of the month” subscriptions is that there are so many different kinds, so you’re sure to find one that speaks to you. For example, if you adore beauty products and makeup but don’t always have the time to try out different products at the store, a beauty subscription box like GlossyBox, Birchbox, or FabFitFun is the perfect solution. You get the fun and excitement of discovering new beauty products without having to leave your home.

Or, if you need new clothes, but between your work and family responsibilities don’t have time to shop, StitchFix is a monthly subscription box that’s kind of like your own personal shopper. Men and women can fill out their own personal style guide, choose how often they want to receive deliveries (every 2 weeks, every month, every other month), and voila. A box of 5 items curated specifically to suit your fashion sense and style is delivered to your door. Whatever you like, you keep. Whatever you don’t like, you send back, free of charge.

If you’re into fashion and beauty, Box of Style is yet another subscription box that combines the two industries and sends you over $400 worth of fashion and beauty products.

A totally different, yet awesome, type of monthly subscription? Food. It may sound funny, but hear us out! If you’re a foodie but can’t afford to spend too much money on fine dining and gourmet products, these monthly food boxes can give you that sense of luxury without spending a fortune. Graze is a food subscription that’s all about healthy snacks, while Try the World sends you different packages of international gourmet delicacies. Bellissimo!

Pampering doesn’t only need to take the form of makeup, clothes, and food. It can be anything that makes you feel good and awakens your passions. For example, a good book from Book of the Month or a box full of geek and pop culture-themed collectibles from Loot Crate can be exactly what the doctor ordered to make you feel refreshed and invigorated. Because the idea behind these boxes is to choose something that excites you.

Of course, if you’re staunchly against being pampered, there’s also a practical “of the month” subscription that could work for you. Dollar Shave Club sends you a starter shaving kit for 5 bucks and then ships you razors and replacement parts every month. Since shaving is something men need to do anyway, signing up for a monthly subscription box just saves time and money.

Are Monthly Subscription Boxes Really Worth It?

Okay, it was fun getting packages when you were a kid, but is recreating that experience really a necessary part of adulthood? After all, don’t plenty of people have a high quality of life without getting mystery boxes delivered every month?

Plus, it’s not like these packages are free—while the value of the items might be worth more than you’re paying, you’re still paying!

If these and other thoughts are running through your head, we hear you! And if these are your concerns, monthly subscription boxes might not be for you.

However, if you see a value to receiving luxurious or personalized products that you wouldn’t normally pick out for yourself, saving time, and giving yourself the gift of excitement at least once a month, these “of the month” subscriptions can be just the thing to create an even higher quality of life than you already have.

And remember, most of these subscriptions offer 1-month trials, so the most you have to lose is a couple of bucks. The most you have to gain? A bag full of goodies to look forward to each and every month.

How we created this
list
Compiled from “Best of” lists published by the world’s most trusted sources, and with our own recommended brands peppered in - this Top10 list aims to help consumers make smarter decisions.