Sample Overload

I have become buried under an avalanche of unused samples.  Like everyone I know, I have succumbed to the phenomena of subscription sample boxes.  I have received eight different boxes so far, although I am not subscribed to one of those any more.  Today, I want to talk about the four beauty boxes I have experienced.  I am receiving samples faster than I can try, and I have become overwhelmed by all the products I have lying around.  The obvious solution is to cancel some subscription boxes, and I am going to keep only one going forward.

Beauty Box 5:  http://www.beautybox5.com/

-  $12 a month, discounts if prepaid for a quarter or year

-  Most common brand:  Hard Candy, Nanococo

-  Most common product:  Eyeshadow

-  Favorite product received:  Nanococo Lip Gloss in Call Me Babe

I received this one as a Christmas gift for four months.  Each box contained five products.  It was a mixture of drug store brands and unknown brands, though most seemed affordable.  There is a shop attached to the site where I assume I can buy the products I received in the box but I never looked into it.  I never got anything that I was really excited to try out.  Plus, most of the things would be cheap enough to buy at the store if I did want to try it.  I never bought a subscription myself once my gift ran out, and I do not plan to subscribe to it again in the future.

Walmart Beauty Box:  https://beautybox.walmart.com/

-  $5 a quarter

-  Most common brand:  Dove, Nivea, Jergens

-  Most common product:  Shampoo & Conditioner, Hand/Body Creams

-  Favorite product received:  Cover Girl Lip Gloss in Candilicious

I have been subscribed for one year, receiving four boxes, one for each season.  There are not a consistent number of samples in them, but usually a number of travel-sized products and one-use samples.  This box tended more toward skincare and toiletries than makeup.  All the products are available at Walmart and other drugstores.  There are no additional perks to the subscription.  I never was particularly excited about anything I received.  Again, I can pick these up affordably if I did want to try something.  I intend to cancel my subscription.  However, it definitely is the most affordable option if someone can only afford a very small splurge.

Ipsy:  https://www.ipsy.com/

-  $10 a month, discounts if prepaid a year

-  Most common brand:  Nyx

-  Most common product:  Eyeshadow

-  Favorite product received:  Pixi Eyeshadow Duo in Apricot Glow

This is my longest running subscription at nineteen months.  Each month I receive five products in a unique makeup bag.  The products lean more heavily to makeup, but there are skincare and haircare items included occasionally.  This does have a good mix of known and unknown brands, high-end and drugstore prices.  The products are usually full-size or deluxe sample sizes.  After receiving the bag, I can go review the products for points.  Then, those points can be used to “purchase” an extra item for the next month from the available products in the rewards section (usually three to eight items available at different redeeming values).  However, I have had trouble accumulating the amount of points needed to buy anything before they start expiring (one year from receiving), and even when I do get enough points there is nothing available that I even remotely want to get.  I did enjoy this subscription for a while, but I think it is time to give it a break.  I do not get that excited about my bags any more.  Plus how many makeup bags do I really need?

Birchbox:  https://www.birchbox.com/

-  $10 a month (+tax), discounts if prepaid for a year

-  Most common brand:  Marcelle, Harvey Prince

-  Most common product:  Moisturizer

-  Favorite product received:  LAQA & Co Lip Lube in Honeypot, Air Repair Moisturizer

I have had this subscription for a year.  Each month there are five products in a unique patterned cardboard box (some of the boxes I keep and some I throw away).  Each month, there is one item that I can select from a group of four or five if I want, and the rest are random choices by the company.  I would say I get more skincare than anything else, but there is always at least one makeup item and a random array of haircare, bath products, and perfumes over time.  The products are usually travel-size or deluxe samples.  Many of the brands are unknown to me, but most seem to be mid- to high-end price ranges.  All the products are available from the Birchbox store to purchase.  After receiving the box, I can earn points by reviewing the products.  The points accumulate and once I reach one hundred they can be traded for $10 off anything in the store.  Points are also earned with each purchase based on the amount spent.  This is the box I intend to keep.  Most of these products are too expensive for me to just try randomly, but I have received several products that I have really enjoyed.  I have already purchased one product based on a sample, and I have a few more on my wish list.

What about you?  Have you fallen victim to subscription fever?  Are you overwhelmed by product samples?  What are your favorite boxes?

See you next week!

New Kitties!

Only a few more days, and the quarter close should be over.

This weekend we welcomed two new members into our family.  We adopted two kitties though a friend of my husband.  The cats are a brother and sister duo, a year and a half old, and all black.  They did originally come with the names Blackie & Jackie, but we have renamed them to make them are own.  My husband dubbed the boy, Zelenka.  I am certain that my husband thinks of himself as McKay, and just wants the opportunity to blame Zelenka for things that go wrong around the house.  I decided to stick with the Stargate Atlantis theme, and named the girl Keller.

The new kitties are adapting fairly well to their new home.  We have limited the amount of rooms they can explore for now, just to make it easier for us to find them each day.  I have gotten the basic equipment needed:  food bowls, food, litter box, litter, pooper scooper, etc.  I still have a list of things that I need to buy yet:  cat scratcher, carrier, collars, ID tags, grooming kit, etc.  I have gotten into the routine of feeding them each morning when I get up and each evening when I get home from work.  I am a little worried that Zelenka is eating Keller’s share of food though.  I clean the litter box daily in the morning and am thankful they are already litter-trained.  After work each day, I spend some time cuddling and playing with the kitties.  I am thrilled that they both come running into the room for attention when I get home.

My husband is not adapting to the cats as well as they are adapting to us.  The cats seem to like him, particularly Zelenka.  He says he is indifferent to the cats, but I think he is miserable.  His allergies have hit him hard since they arrived.  His eyes are really red and puffy.  He breaks out into little tiny hives if one of the cats rubs against him.  He claims that he will get used to them in a month or so, and that Benadryl will work for now.  He says that my being happy is more important to him than the adjustment period.  Part of me feels like he should have told me no when I said I wanted cats.  Part of me thinks we should get rid of them now before they have become ensconced in our home.  Part of me wants to just wait and see what happens, because I really want cats.

What do you think?  Enjoy the new kitties or call the adoption lady to take them back because it is not fair to my husband?

See you next week!

I Hate Quarter Close

It is another short blog week.  I cannot help it; it is the quarter close.

Accounting is a routine job.  Every month, I have a schedule of tasks that I complete in a specific order so that our financial statements are correct.  I have two weeks of reconciliations and journal entries to make sure all the accounts are accurate for the month.  Next, I have one week of management reporting to highlight specific account activity for the executives.  Finally, I have one week (maybe a bit more until the end of the month) where I review things that other accountants have completed, process certain types of business transactions, and work on special projects.  My monthly schedule is quite full, and although I have slower days, I never have completely free time.

Every three months, my routine is expanded from the normal busy month.  I am still responsible for everything that needs to be done on a monthly basis.  Then, there are extra reconciliations and journal entries that are only done on a quarterly basis.  All of them still must be done in the same two week time period.  There are a few additional reports that are completed for management.  Plus, there are schedules that must be prepared for the filings with the SEC and requests from the auditors that are due during the same week as the management reporting.  The last week is spent on the normal array of tasks but with more stuff to review because all the other accountants did extra journal entries and reconciliations as well.  As the review is happening by both our team and the auditors, everybody hopes that nobody finds anything that was done incorrectly.  When we do, it causes a landslide of journal entries to correct and reports to fix that must be done immediately because the SEC deadline is non-negotiable.  I work extra hours at night and on the weekend every quarter, and I still never feel like I have put in the appropriate amount of time to make sure things are done accurately.

I will not even go into the fiscal year end, and the extra work that requires.  It is still six months away, and I am not ready to think about it yet.

My brain is completely fried from the additional work, the long hours, and the intense mental energy I dedicate to the quarter close.  Although my goal is to always write real blogs, I have a feeling I will continue to fall back on short “quarter closes suck” type blogs at least once during those periods.  I just do not have the time and brainpower left to dedicate to the blog.  Work has taken it all.

See you next week!

The Death Bell Tolls

Almost three months ago, I wrote a blog about the helplessness that I felt when my husband and my friend were dealing with loved ones in the hospital.  Now, my friend’s mother has passed away, and the helplessness has only increased.  I just spent a very stressful and emotional weekend in Pennsylvania, going to her funeral and helping my friend’s family cope.  Although I know they appreciated my efforts, I still feel utterly helpless in the situation because I just cannot make it all better.

My friend’s mother has had poor health for many years now, and there have been several serious situations.  It has always seemed a possibility that she could go at any time.  Regardless, it came as a shock to me when I got the news last Thursday.  She had been in the hospital again with ailments related to the previous stay.  She went through surgery successfully and had been moved to a nursing home for further recovery before going home.  Every bit of news I had received from my friend had been positive.  Her mother was doing well and it seemed she would once again fight her way home for a while longer.  Indeed, my friend’s father said he had spoken to her not even a half hour prior to her death and all was well.  Unfortunately, there was a sudden turn for the worse and she was gone before they could do anything for her.  When the text came from my friend, I had to read it several times before I could believe what it had said.  All through the evening and the next day, I just kept rereading it, trying to convince myself that I had misinterpreted her words.

Although my initial response was to get into my car and drive to PA immediately, my husband’s cooler head prevailed.  Even if I packed swiftly, I still would have been 8:00 or later leaving the house.  The six hour drive would have gotten me to PA at 2:00 in the morning with no hotel room, no one knowing I was there, no one awake to contact, and nothing to do to help anyone.  Plus, I was due at work the next morning.  Friday was weird as I tried to concentrate on my duties and not think about what had happened so that I did not break down at my desk.  At the same time, I was paying close attention to my phone, waiting for any kind of message from my friend.  Eventually, I got news that the funeral would be Sunday evening.  I made the arrangements to take Monday off work, against my vacation time because my employer thinks that this was not a close enough person to warrant bereavement leave (why is it based on blood instead of importance?).  I headed up there Saturday to spend a couple of days with my friend, her father, and the rest of her family.

The three days of the trip went by in a blur.  Although I was physically present, there was not much that I could do to help anyone.  The funeral arrangements were already made.  Their immediate family surrounded them.  Another friend was staying at the house to help out already.  I do not say this to complain, but just to emphasize the fact that my presence, while valued, was not really needed.  My friend was bearing up under the pressure a little too well.  She was focused on the details of arranging the funeral, switching her mother’s accounts to her and her father, and cleaning the house.  She did not cry, and I fear that she will probably break in the future once we all have drifted back to our own homes and lives.  I will not be there, but hopefully she knows that I will listen if and when she is ready.  The Sunday viewing was a chaos of family members, few of whom I knew well.  I stuck to those I knew and tried to stay out of the way.  The funeral itself was short, though amusingly punctuated by another friend’s three and half year old boy.  My friend’s mother would have loved it, and I know my friend and her father enjoyed his innocent interjections into the preacher’s words.

Now that it is over, we move on with our lives but we remember the wonderful woman who has gone before us.  This weekend was punctuated with the many people sharing the memories of the woman we all gathered to honor one final time.  I remember a woman who sat in her kitchen and directed those around her.  She was not very mobile, especially at the end, but she knew everything that everyone else was doing.  I remember a woman who loved to cook and entertain, and who appreciated that I was a non-picky eater.  She could always count on me to eat whatever she wanted to make.  I remember a woman who baked hundreds of Christmas cookies every year.  Some were sold to people in town, and some were in the house to share with those who came to visit.  My favorites were thumbprints with icing.  A few years ago she gave me the recipe, so now I can make them for many Christmases to come while I remember her each time I pull it out.  I remember a woman who was always kind to me, who always made me feel welcome and at home.  I will miss her.

Here’s to Ginny!  See you next week!