Citrus Lane Subscription- August Box Review

I received my August box last week (on the 21st) and I must say I'm a little disappointed again.  I've been saying that I was thinking about cancelling and this week I really did.  It's not that I'm really upset about the items I received, it's just that I don't think they are things I would have went out and bought.  I'm trying to save money and buy only things of real value to my family.  Here is what I got:

Little Stacker- Monkey
The design of this toy is very nice and the material is super soft.  The toy is pretty cheap though.  The stacker fits together with one very flimsy strip of velcro that is seriously lacking sticking power.  The toy is designed in Vermont and Made in China.  I don't get what this new kick about labeling products, "Designed in U.S.A" and then made somewhere else.  Is that supposed to make us feel better about buying crap?  Anyone want to buy mine ($10 ppd)? This retails for approximately $13.

Cleo's Color Book
We love books so it's hard for me to give any book a bad review...BUT it's gotta really have something for me to get into color books or other basic books.  I KNOW this is for a baby and maybe I'm just grumpy today or something but I'm not really into this book either.  There are so many better options in my opinion for introducing colors.   This is retailing right now for $6.29 on Amazon.

Cleanwell All-natural Hand Sanitizing Wipes -Orange Vanilla                  Considering that I can't find the sanitizing wipes that I received in last month's box, I was happy to see these replacements.  I'm going to use these to clean toys.  They are safe to use on the hands and the face, are alcohol free and biodegradable. Ingredients include thymus vulgarts oil, aloe leaf juice, citric acid, citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) oil, copper PCA, hydrolyzed oats, oregano oil, vanilla fruit extract, water. These are retailing for approximately $5.00 a canister online.

Weleda Calendula Baby Cream
Ah Goo Baby Bottle Strap, Audrey                                 
I'm actually a fan of samples, just not paying for them.  I've heard really great things about Weleda and I'm sure the diaper cream is a great product but I use cloth and I've read that Weleda is not good for cloth so I won't be using this sample.  I haven't decided wheher or not I will be keeping the bottle strap.  We don't use bottles but we have entered into the "throw everything on the floor stage so I might keep this.  Bottle strap retails for $10.49 on Amazon.

Outfit from fabkids
The box also contained a coupon for an outfit from the fabkids site.  The three piece outfits are $39.99 and with the code you receive the outfit for free and pay a $5.00 shipping fee.  That's a pretty good deal for a really snazzy outfit.  However, the site doesn't have either of my boys' sizes.  The lowest is 2T and the highest is XL.  I need baby or teen so I guess I will be looking for a gift.

So again, I really have no reason to be disappointed.  The total for all of these items if I would have purchased them would be $74.00 and that's not counting the samples of Weleda Baby products.  I'm just not going to renew for financial reasons.

Anyone want to share their thoughts and opinions on Citrus Lane or any other subscription box?

Disclosure:  I purchased the Citrus Lane box on my own and was not given compensation for this post.  All opinions are my own.  This post does contain affiliate links.

What's in the July Box from Citrus Lane?

I received my July box last week (about the 18th of the month) and I must say I'm a little disappointed.  I'm not really sure if I would have purchased all of the items in my box but it's still a fun program.  Here's what I got:


Zo-Li On-The-Go Travel Formula & Snack Dispenser
Maybe I would be more excited about this if I fed my son formula but I'm just not into this item.  The reviews are great and moms really seem to like that it's stackable so you can fit four different snacks conveniently in the diaper bag.  Apparently it's also very easy to mix powder formula with.  It's BPA and phthalate free, which is great I guess but really I'm trying to stay away from buying plastics at all.  My son's still too young for me to be bringing snacks, but when the time comes, I will probably use whatever I have on hand (repurposed food containers).  I don't feel like I need to buy him special containers.  This retails for approximately $15.

Tiny Love Tiny Smarts Jittering Activity Toy, Giraffe                                                We love jittery toys and my son is liking this.  It's colorful and I really like that claw-like snap.  I also like that it has multiple textures for multi-sensory stimulation.  However, we have one or two similar items so I'm really not sure if I would have bought this anyway.  This is retailing right now for $8.59 on Amazon.

me4kidz Little Buddy Antibacterial Wipes                                                          Now I was excited about seeing this in the box.  We were just in a restaurant the other day and my son sat in a high chair for the very first time.  It was completely unexpected, I guess I thought I would just keep him in the carrier but then we decided to put him in the high chair.  I cleaned the chair with water but what I really wanted were some antibacterial wipes.  These are non-toxic, alcohol free, and made in Israel.  Ingredient list: benzalkonium chloride, purified water, polysorbate 20 (coconut oil), glycerin, gluconolactone, sodium benzoate, cucumber & tea tree fragrance. These are retailing for $2.49 on Amazon.

California Baby Aloe Vera Cream, 2 oz
California Baby Calming Shampoo and Bodywash, 19 fl oz                                   
I really have been wanting to try more California Baby products and I was happy to see these samples in my box.  These products always seem to get the highest reviews and recommendations for safe choices for babies.  The only other product that I have from California Baby is the California Baby Calendula Cream (4oz) (that I picked up for a lot less than what it retails for) and I love it.  Like I said, I've wanted to try their shampoos, but couldn't see paying what they retail for so I'm glad to get a chance to try it out first.  It's also nice to have some aloe vera on hand.

NurturMe NurturMeals Carrot/Sweet Potato/Raisin Organic Dry Meal Pouches   
I haven't started solids yet.  We are going to make a big deal about it on my son's birthday.  I'm going to give him his 6 month birthday avocado meal, we'll see how that goes.  I will probably follow avocados with cereal, sweet potatoes, bananas, and then apples.  I was planning on making his food and given that according to Amazon these individual packets retail for $2.11, I don't see myself buying them.  However, this is nice to have when we travel.  That seems a little steep, I'm sure that they can be had for cheaper at the local grocery stores but I haven't checked.  Amazon's food prices are usually not that cheap.

We also received a coupon for 10 free Postagrams (retail value $10).  I had never heard of this before and the process seems to be easy enough.  It's not clear right away how much this costs but in the checkout process you find out that each Postagram is $0.99.  The site allows you to upload pictures from your computer or device and crop them.  Postagram is a branch of "Sincerely" brand products which include:

Sesame:  Their push is "Beautifully designed gifts from your phone".
Postagram: Mail real postcards from your mobile device.
Ink Cards: Create and mail greeting cards from your mobile device.
PopBooth: Mail photo strip cards from your mobile device.

I initially thought this would be a fun way to announce my son's 1st birthday or holiday cards but unfortunately the deal expires in November.  Not sure what I will send out but fun anyway.

So I really have no reason to be disappointed.  The total for all of these items if I would have purchased them would be $38.00 and that's not counting the samples of California Baby products.  I guess I'm just bummed because I wasn't impressed with the big item, the Zo-Li On-The-Go Travel Formula & Snack Dispenser.

Bottom line, I think I'm going to try to sell the dispenser and see what I recoup and continue with the subscription.  If I don't recoup some money this month I might discontinue after August.  It's really fun though receiving these boxes in the mail I must say.

Disclosure:  I purchased the Citrus Lane box on my own and was not given compensation for this post.  All opinions are my own.  This post does contain affiliate links.

Review of June Citrus Lane Box

I recently saw a Facebook advertisement for a company called Citrus Lane that offered a monthly subscription surprise box service. I've always been intrigued by these types of companies but being the cheap or frugal person that I am, I never signed up for one. Mostly I was too afraid that what I would receive would not be worth the cost. However, Citrus Lane offered me my first box for 50% off so for $12.50 I thought I would check them out.

My box came priority mail a little less than a month after I signed up. The items were nicely packaged in the box and followed a “Summer” theme. Since I was on the lookout for a summer hat for my son, I was thrilled to see that a sun hat was included. Here's what the box contained:

I Play Sun Protection Hat UPF 50+ Reversible (Infant (6-18 months), Blue){Retails for $12.00}
Boon Odd Duck - Bob {Retails for $10.60}
Happy Baby Organic Baby Food 1 Starting Solids, Fresh Mango, 3.5-Ounce (Pack of 16) {16 for $14.26 so 1 @ $0.89}
Susan Brown's Baby Just For Mom Foot Therapy Cream, 8.3-Ounce Bottle  (I received a 7.6 oz) {Larger 8.3 oz Retails $11.20}
Sample (approximately 1 oz) Susan Brown's Baby Sensitive Baby Nourishing Lotion
Sample (approximately 1 oz) Susan Brown's Baby Sensitive Baby Diaper Therapy Cream

Given that the above items (or versions of the items and not including the samples) are sold at retail for a total of over $34, I would say that $12.50 was a good deal. I say it was a good deal because I needed a sun hat and the consumables are always needed. A rubber ducky is of course not a necessity but given that we don't have any bath toys maybe it indeed is.

The first thing I tried was the Susan Brown Foot Therapy Cream. It felt a little greasy going on but that downfall was made up for the great smell. It kind of reminded me of a peachy lotion I would use as a teenager (I guess that can be a bad thing) and although greasy at first, did absorb and make my feet feel hydrated and maybe a bit sweeter smelling.

The samples for baby I will probably give away because the Diaper Therapy Cream contains zinc, which is a no for our cloth diapers. Although I may just try it out and use a liner.

Can't wait to try the baby food, but it will be awhile as we aren't starting solids for another few months.

I really like the fun design of the rubber ducky. We received the orange and white one, or "Bob".  What I like the most about the toy is that it advertises that it does not absorb water. With my older son, I hated finding that the toys had to be thrown out so quickly from mildew accumulating inside. I could never get them clean. The ducky is also BPA, PVC & Phalate free which is a plus.

The sun hat is super cute and I really like that it's reversible and has a sun protection factor of 50+. I don't plan on many beach days but think this will be good for him to wear when we are out and about or when he's in his stroller. I was kind of surprised that we received a blue hat because I designated for a gender neutral box but it's okay...just would have preferred green. Last time we checked his head circumference was 17” and this fit him well and he doesn't seem to mind it.

I think that I'm going to see what the July box has in store. For $12.50 this was a fun deal. If the box has items that I need or can resell after we are finished with them I will see about renewing if my budget allows. It is exciting when you are expecting packages in the mail.

Disclosure:  I purchased the Citrus Lane box on my own and was not given compensation for this post.  All opinions are my own.  This post does contain affiliate links.