Getting ready to move is always, always a stressful time.  Even if you’re the most prepared person on the face of the planet, something is bound to go wrong.  That said, though… there is a lot to be said about actually being prepared to move, and it really cuts down on the amount of things that can go wrong.  Here’s seven tips to help you save not only money, but time and frustration on your first (or next) apartment move.

Never, Ever Pay for Boxes

Here’s the deal… you should never have to buy a cardboard box.  They’re everywhere!  You simply just need to know where to look, and suddenly you’ll have all the boxes you’ll ever need.  So, for starters, if you have a job, chances are you can get plenty of boxes there.  Retail or food?  Ask for some empty boxes from the inventory deliveries.  Office life?  Printer paper and other goods often comes in boxes.  Also, certain places like liquor stores are well known for stacking their empty boxes near the store entrances for anyone to take.  If you look, you’ll find more than enough boxes to pack up your stuff–just make sure to grab more than you think you’ll need, as you always need more than you think.

Pay Attention to Your Area, and How That Affects Rental Prices

It may not be immediately obvious, but the rental industry goes through high points and low points, much like any service industry.  During certain points of the year, a bunch of rental companies will offer movie in deals to get their apartments filled, but what time of the year depends on the area you live in.  For example, I live in a town with multiple universities–as such, a lot of rental places offer deals during the summer, at first to get people in place of the students that graduated and left in the spring, and then to rope into new students coming to the town in the fall.  If you pay attention to the trends, and have the time to wait until rental companies bring out the deals, you can save a lot of money on your move in costs… which is important as it’s usually the most costly part of the moving process!

Always Try and Find Ways to Save on Transportation

You don’t need a car in every city in the U S of A.  If you’re moving to a new city, or even staying in the same town, do some research on the transportation options available to you.  How are the bus and/or subway systems?  Are there a lot of bike friendly roads or trails?  Is the weather fair enough to consider the possibility of a scooter or moped?  If you are a student living on or near a college campus, for example, you probably won’t need much transportation for what you need other than your own two feet.  Even if you’re in an area with poor public transportation support, there are still other options available like carpooling that will help you save money on pricey transportation costs.

Think about Apartment Size and Figure Out What Sizes are Right for You

While it’s always great to have a huge, spacious apartment, it’s not always a financially viable option.  Especially for your first apartment, it’s important to know what size is both right for you, and appropriately priced.  For example, if this is your first apartment and you’re living alone, maybe a studio apartment is best–they are the cheapest option available, and if it’s your first place, you probably don’t have as much furniture.  On the flip side, if you’re moving in with a roommate, it’s important to have enough space for each person living there to be comfortable.

What do You Actually Need?

Cluttered living spaces are never great, but they can be an absolute nightmare when trying to move.  If you have a lot of stuff, there’s never a better time than when packing to ask yourself “do I need this?”  Something like tools and basic cooking utensils?  Yes, you are probably going to need those.  But that rice cooker you used one time, or the inflatable Pepsi man?  Maybe not so much.  It’s important to be able to distinguish things you need, things that maybe you don’t need but like, and just stuff you don’t need.  None of that “oh I might need it in the future!” stuff either… oftentimes you either never need it, or you’ve lost it when you do need it.

If you need help decluttering your space (while you’re moving or anytime), it might be worth it to check out The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, as it has a bunch of good stuff.  As for what to do with your clutter… you can sell a lot of it on sites like Craigslist, earning you a bit extra moving money, and saving a bunch of time on packing stuff you really don’t need!

Roommates Are a Possibility

No matter where you live, it will always be cheaper if you live with at least one other person.  Sure, a two bedroom apartment will cost more than a one bedroom or studio, but once you cut your rent and all apartment expenses in half (or more!), it’s easy to see how much you’ll save.  Of course, there’s a lot of consider about roommates other than the cost–you have to make sure you and your roommate get along!  As for finding a roommate, if you don’t have a friend or a friend of a friend to ask, you can always check Craigslist–just make sure to meet up with them a few times to make sure you two match in terms of living philosophies.

Keep An Eye Out for Furniture Deals

The biggest expense for an apartment, aside from the rent and move in fees, has to be furniture.  While it would be great to have matching living rooms and kitchen sets, getting brand new full sets of furniture is extremely expensive, and not viable for most people moving.  Instead, it’s best to piece together your furniture collection via other means.  There are a lot of options available to the bargain hunter, provided you keep a regular eye out.  Some great examples include Craigslist, local Goodwill locations, and garage sales.  You can even pick up furniture off the side of the road if you want, but be careful if you do… make sure it hasn’t been rained on or have any kind of bugs in it!

What tips have helped you save money on moving?  Let us know in the comments!

7 Ways to Save When Moving into an Apartment

Another month, another subscription box review!  This month we have another box from Japan Crate… the Umai Crate, a pack full of ramen and noodles to enjoy, straight from Japan.  But is this box worth the price and the wait?

Like the Doki Doki Box I reviewed, all of these items are shipped from Japan, which means the items will have quite a long shipping time.  While the Doki Doki Box took about six weeks to get to me without interruption, the Umai Crate took about eight weeks, as it was stopped by U.S. inspections.  This is no fault of Japan Crate themselves, and when I contacted customer service to report that my box had not come in (it arrived a day after I sent the e-mail), they were courteous and more than willing to ship a replacement or offer a refund.  There are subscription services out there that have poor customer service and make it difficult if problems arise, so it is great that Japan Crate is not one of them.

Let’s get to the details of the Umai Box itself.  Each month’s Umai box comes with five (out of a choice of seven) noodle packs to try, with an additional non food item, generally related to cooking or eating the noodles.  The Umai Crate does not account for any dietary restrictions or allergies (understandably), so there might be some packs people with certain allergies can’t eat.  For example, this particular box had a lot of noodle packs with fish ingredients in them, which would be a problem with vegetarians and those with allergies to fish.

Now, as stated, these items come straight from Japan, and as such reading the labels and brands of these noodle packs is impossible unless you know the language.  I don’t, so I’ll be using the handy guide that comes included with the Umai Crate in order to provide accurate information about these products.  Without further ado:

Yamadai Tenobe Somen

While somen are traditionally served cold, this noodle bowl serves them up piping hot! [This bowl comes] with a broth rich in the flavors of sardine, flying fish, shiitake and four different types of soup kelp.

This was delicious!  The broth was tangy and very good, and the noodles soaked in the flavor of the flavor back well.  I’d be excited if I could order these elsewhere, but international shipping is always a bit expensive.

Ace Soup Harusame Kakitama

These vermicelli noodles are not only delicious, but they’re also lower in sodium!  The scallop based broth can be enhanced with a few pieces of crab and fresh veggies!

This is my first time seeing clear noodles!  I was a bit shocked at first, I thought I messed up cooking the noodles, but that’s how they were suppose to be!  After getting over the initial shock the noodles were very good, and the broth complemented them well.

Itsuki Mini Nyumen

Itsuki Mini Nyumen has a super delicious broth featuring Hidaka Kombu [note: a type of seaweed].  It also has a nice, round flavor from the shiitake and citrus.

This was a decent bowl of noodles, but like the description says, the broth steals the show here.  The noodles don’t really soak up the taste of the great broth, and while that doesn’t make it bland or terrible, it does leave a bit to be desired.

Maru-Chan Tempura Soda

This buckwheat noodle dish is similar to Kanto region dishes with the broth being balanced between soy sauce and sugar.

The broth in this one was quite tasty, as were the brown noodles!  The buckwheat noodles seemed to have a bit of sweetness to them, but the broth was the real winner here.  I was worried that the mixture of soy sauce and sugar wouldn’t be that great, but it turned out better than expected.

Fujiwara Shizimi Salt Ramen

The ramen in this dish are made using flour from the Hakkaido region.  While it is a salt ramen, this one is not vegetarian [as] it includes fish and clam in the broth!

This packet was… odd.  Not bad, but it was an unusual set of flavors.  The broth tasted like a fishy chicken noodle soup, and the noodles were also a bit unusual in their texture.  It certainly wasn’t bad, but not the type that I’d go out and buy if I could easily.

Non food item: Soup Ladle

This is a nice silicone soup ladle.  The ladle part is a bit small, so I’m not sure if I’ll actually use it often, but I’m not one to complain about more kitchen utensils.

When I first ordered the Umai Crate, I was worried it would be full of ramen packs that I could easily buy at a local Asian mart at the fraction of the price.  Thankfully, though, this box was full of unique items that I’ve never got to try before.  Of course, given with any type of food subscription box, your mile will vary wildly on how much you like the items within–if you’re not a fan of fish or fish ingredients, then you wouldn’t have liked the box I received.  On top of that, $25 for five ramen packs is a tough deal to sell, though the allure of foreign products does help this a bit.  If you’re looking for something a bit different and don’t mind waiting a while for the crate to ship, then the Umai Crate is a fun box to try.

Umai Crate Subscription Review

Meal planning is a fantastic way to save both time and money week to week.  With life being so busy nowadays, cooking every night seems far from ideal, but constantly ordering take out and fast food is both unhealthy and can add up quickly.  Setting aside some of a day to meal prep is a perfect solution, but it can be a bit overwhelming for a newbie.  Don’t worry though, as here’s a step by step guide to help you get meal planning in no time:

#1: Figure Out Your Dietary Needs, or Wants

The first step is the probably the hardest step, but it’s the most important.  If you’re trying to plan out meals, you need to understand what your body needs, and maybe what your body doesn’t like, too.  Also, you need to ask yourself why you’re doing this–is this only a money and time saving measure, or are you trying to lose weight?  Gain muscle?  Maybe an attempt to stick to dietary restrictions?  Once you can clearly answer why you want to begin meal planning, you can actually begin to plan.

#2: Find Some Recipes You Want to Make (and are within your skill level)

Another difficult step for some, if you’re new at cooking.  It’s very important to know what you need to cook when you’re meal prepping, and unless you’re really good at making up meals in your head, the best way to do that is by amassing a bunch of recipes.  Try to find things that sound fun or tasty to make, but also try to make sure you’re not overstepping your skill level.  Of course, cooking is the type of skill you’ll only get better at by doing it, but it’s not the best idea to try to make a soufflé if you’ve only boiled pasta before.  An example for me, I have trouble with recipes that require too many odd ingredients, as I’ll probably only use them with the recipe I’m looking at or a few others, so not only am I unfamiliar with the stuff, but it feel almost like a waste of money.  I tend to stick to recipes with less overall ingredients, as I am less likely to forget or mess up something along the way.

#3: Actually Plan the Meals

An easy step to forget in the hustle and bustle of everything, and easily the one I mess up most often.  When meal planning, looking up recipes, and making grocery lists, make sure you’ve actually planned enough meals to last your prepping timeframe (typically a week for most, some prep twice a week though).  If you don’t have enough to cover you for all your meals and all your days, then you’re going to left desperately looking for something to eat on those empty days… and that can do a number on your wallet and your diet plan!

That said, it’s always a good idea to prepare for the worst.  If say, you burned a meal or something went bad earlier than expected, it can be quite helpful to have a few ’emergency meals’ on hand to help bridge the gap.  Ideally, this would be something you cooked well in advance and froze some portions of, but additionally things like frozen dinners (provided they pass the dietary test!) and protein bars can help with meal failures.

#4: Make A Grocery List

We’ve all done it at least once, right?  “Oh, I only need a few items, I don’t need to make a list.”  Then you go to the grocery store, and come out with twenty things you didn’t need, and only half of the stuff you did need.  If you want to save money and be efficient at meal planning, you really have to make a grocery list to keep yourself on track and get only what you need.  Not only does it help with you not buying unnecessary stuff (if you buy spinach 50% off but it goes bad before you use it, that doesn’t save any money), but also makes sure you don’t buy an item you already have some off (assuming you check your pantry before making the list).  Wasting money on stuff you don’t actually is, obviously, a huge money waster after all!

#5: Set Aside Time to Cook

The last step, but the one you’ve been preparing for… time to actually cook and prepare the meals!  For all its time saving during the week, meal prepping can be a bit time consuming on the day of prepping itself.  Depending on how many recipes you’re making, it could take multiple hours.  Of course, that depends on how and what equipment is needed to cook the food.  A slow cooker cooks food in six to eight hours, but having something in the slow cooker frees the oven and stovetop up for other recipes, and a slow cooker is very much ‘set it and go’ in terms of cooking.  If you properly manage your kitchen space and recipe times (which will take practice, of course), you can cut down on prep time drastically.

Do you meal prep?  What are your tips and tricks?  Let us know in the comments!

Eat Smart: A Beginner’s Guide to Meal Planning

Ah sleep, a wonderful part of the biological process that helps our mind and body recover from the strain and stress of the day.  But, there are many, many people that suffer from a variety of sleeping issues, leaving them groggy and unable to fully recover from their active lives.  While of course there are those with problems so severe that they must seek professional help, for many of us it’s simple a problem with our quality of sleep.  We toss and turn, wake up to any noise, or simply lie awake in bed with a racing mind that won’t quiet down enough to drift into dream world.

For people like us, thankfully, there are simpler solutions than medication and sleep studies… and technology is always here to help!  Let’s look at seven products that’ll help you get the best sleep of your life.

Heated Mattress Pads

Have you ever gotten ready to crawl into bed on a cold winter’s night, prepared to be warm and toasty under the covers… only to met with icy sheets and chilly comforters?  While fleece and flannel sheets can mitigate this a bit, it still can be a huge problem, especially if you shift positions in your sleep and suddenly wake up to a code spot on your bed.

The best thing you can do for yourself during the colder months is to get you a heated mattress pad.  There are a bunch of spot heater pads that you could theoretically use in place of a whole heated mattress pad, but the electric ones warn against using them overnight and the rubber hot water holders have a chance of leaking.  Heated mattress pads, however, are made to be used overnight, and various models also have heat settings to adjust your bed to your perfect warmth.  I recommend trying Sunbeam’s Heated Mattress Pads, as they come in all bed sizes and are affordable to boot.

Check Price on Amazon

White Noise Machines

For light sleepers, sometimes the biggest thing getting between you and a good night’s sleep is just a bit of noise.  If you have pets, roommates, noisy neighbors, or even a leak faucet, anything can turn a good night into a nightmare.  The best solution for that is a white noise machine.

White noise helps to drown out the invasive sounds of your environment, while not being invasive enough itself to interrupt your sleep.  HoMedic’s Sound Spa device allows for six different settings for sounds, with sounds ranging from thunder to the ocean to just white noise itself.  It also has an timer to turn it off if you wish, or you can run the machine all night.

Check Price on Amazon

Sleep Headphones

White noise machines can be great, but what if your sound problem is… closer?  A snoring partner, for example, or pets playing in the room in the middle of the night?  White noise machines cannot easily drown out noises like that if they’re happening mere inches from your ear, so another solution might be needed.  Ear plugs may seem like a suitable solution, but they can also drown out the alarm clock in the morning, and be very uncomfortable for those that sleep on their sides.

The best solution to this end is a pair of headphones designed for sleeping.  With something like these CozyPhones Sleep Headphones, you can plug it into your phone or white noise machine and play something to drown out all the nearby noises… and if you use your phone as an alarm clock and plug your headphones into it, there will be no missing the alarm in the morning.  Additionally, the headphones themselves are flat, making it easy to lay on for side sleepers, and most come inside of headbands to make it less likely for the headphones to slip off during the night.

Check Price on Amazon

Sleep Tracker

Sometimes you just know you’ve been sleeping poorly, but just can’t pinpoint on the why.  In that case, the best idea is to have your sleep patterns tracked… but professional sleep studies are expensive, and there are many viable solutions if your sleeping issues aren’t that severe.  There are a variety of apps for phones that can do this job, but if you happen to share your bed, the results can be a bit skewed as the app picks up on your partner’s or pet’s movements.

With that being the case, it’s better to get a more personal sleep tracker.  If you own a smartwatch or fitness tracker already, these often have sleep trackers of their own that do a good job at showing you your sleep patterns.  If not, though, there are still options available for advanced sleep trackers.

Check Prices on Amazon

Special Light Bulbs

Maybe, your problem is just getting tired.  While technology has made massive leaps and bounds with the invention of electricity and allowing our homes to have light 24/7, that does have some unintended consequences.  The lights in our homes tend to mess with our bodies’ natural circadian cycle, and signals our brains to make more seratonin (which keeps us awake) and delay in making melatonin (which helps us sleep).

Of course, with the hustle and bustle of the everyday world, we can’t really shut everything off as the sun goes down and simply wait for the morning before doing it all again.  But, there are ways to mitigate the effects of nighttime activity, and one of these is to get special light bulbs that block the typical light wavelengths that mess with our minds.  These Good Night lightbulbs are a perfect fit in a bedroom, allowing you to see while you wind down from the day, while promoting your body’s sleepy chemicals as you go about your nighttime routine.

Check Price on Amazon

Computer Reader Glasses

Then again, light bulbs really won’t help much if you’re still staring at computer or phone screens in your newly outfitted rooms.  These screens are often even worse than the light throughout the house, as your eyes are getting constant full doses of the blue light that keeps us awake throughout the day, making it harder to finally get to sleep.  There is a reason doctors say to not use your phones for an hour before bed, and it’s not from the rush that social media check ins give you!

The best solution?  Well, it’s not technically a piece of technology, but it helps you use technology without interrupting your sleep patterns, so good enough, right?  These computer reader glasses might seem a little silly to wear to the uninitiated, but they block out the blue light that promotes seratonin productions, allowing you to enjoy your electronics throughout the evening.

Check Price on Amazon

With these, hopefully you start getting a better night’s sleep, and are ready for a new day ahead!  Do you have any suggestions, tips, or anything else you recommend for a good night’s sleep?  Let us know in the comments!

Sleep Easy with Sleepy Tech: 6 Products to Help You Sleep Better

Happy 2019!  A new year means a fresh start, and with that comes a new set of resolutions.  One of the most common resolutions involves one’s health, whether that is to “eat better”, “lose weight”, or “get fit”.  However, it’s a well known fact that most people fail to reach their new year goals.

What’s something that often stops projects–and resolutions–in their tracks is a lack of a clear plan.  Getting healthier is always an admirable goal, but it also can be overwhelming for those that don’t quite know how to go about such goal.  Thankfully, there are a number of apps to use that can help you get organized to make 2019 the year you hit that healthy resolution.

MyFitnessPal

The key to losing weight is quite simple in theory–eat less calories, and you’ll burn fat.  But, how much less food should you eat?  Do you know how many calories that spaghetti you made is?  Calorie counting can be really overwhelming, but MyFitnessPal can make it so much easier.

You simply plug in your stats and how many pounds you want to lose (or gain!) a week, and the app does the calculations for you.  Then, you pick the foods you eat from its extensive database (the largest of all the apps of its ilk), and viola, you’ve taken the first step in getting your diet in shape!

Google Play   Apple App Store

MapMyFitness

There are dozens upon dozens of workout tracking apps, but MapMyFitness is one that gets a bit of a special mention.  By the same makers as MyFitnessPal, syncing the two apps for accurate measurements of calories you burn is an immensely helpful feature for someone overwhelmed with the healthier lifestyle.

MapMyFitness tracks walks, runs, and cycling trips via GPS, giving you plenty of information about how far you went, how quickly, and how many calories you burned.  Additionally, MapMyFitness has a datatbase for things like local trails and fitness events, to make sure you never run out of things to do.

Google Play   Apple App Store

Fitocracy

If you’re not as worried about syncing your apps together, and like to ‘gamify’ things, then Fitocracy is right up your ally.  Fitocracy has a nice database exercises that you can search, and as you do them you earn points.

Points level you up and earn achievements, adding a competitive element with friends if you so choose.  It’s a bit of a more fun way to motivate yourself to work out.

Google Play   Apple App Store

C25K

All the fitness tracking apps are great, but they don’t help if you’re not sure what to do in the first place!  If you’re interested in running and cardio, but don’t quite have the endurance yet, one of your best bets is the Couch to 5k (or C25K) program.

The program is designed to get completely sedentary people up and running a 5k in only 90 days, by a staggered run/walk program three days a week.  It’s an extremely helpful program, and there is a whole slew of apps that can help you with this particular program.  The one I chose for this list is both free and has a nice looking interface, though most of the apps do serve the same purpose.

Google Play   Apple App Store

Stronglifts 5×5

If you’re not one for cardio, maybe weightlifting is more your cup of tea.  One of the best beginners’ programs for lifting heavy things has to be the Stronglifts 5×5 program.  It’s deceptively simple–you only need learn five exercises, and you’re only in the gym three times a week.

The app gives you all the information you need on what exercises to do and on what days, and there are many success stories out there with how much this program help others get stronger and lose weight.  The creator of this program wanted all the information about Stronglifts to be free to all and easily accessible, and that extends to this official app.

Google Play   Apple App Store

Headspace

People tend to not realize how important their mental health is to their physical health!  Stress can cause hormone inbalances, to hold on to water weight, and even a terrifying smorgasbord of health issues.  One of the simplest ways to set aside some time to yourself, a way to calm down and unwind from our busy lives.

This is where meditation comes into play.  When meditation is properly practiced, it gives the mind time to slow down, unwind, and simply let thoughts slip by.  But meditation is not always easily learned… but thankfully with meditation apps at our fingertips, there’s never a better time to try.

Headspace is my personal favorite–while it does require a monthly subscription, Headspace teaches you the foundations of meditation and how to practice it, as well as many different varieties of guided meditation.  There are programs to help you sleep, deal with anxiety, and plenty of other series well worth the fee.

Google Play   Apple App Store

Fitness and Health Apps to Kickstart Your New Year’s Resolutions

We all know there are subscriptions for everything these days.  There is something out there for everyone, of course… but what about things you didn’t know you wanted?  Sure, we all love your Amazon subscriptions and the subscription box of our choice, but there are some… unusual subscription services out there.  But these aren’t just weird, they’re helpful, too!  Let’s look at 10 subscription services you probably didn’t know you wanted.

1. Bacon

Every self-respecting meat eater loves bacon, so what better subscription than one that delivers new slabs of delicious meat candy every month?  The Bacon Every Month Club from Tender Belly sets you up so that you get four packages of bacon every month, in either a sweet (maple) or spicy (habanero) every single month.  Now that’s a tasty subscription to get behind!

Bacon Every Month Club

2. Black Socks

Are you the type of person that likes black socks, and only black socks?  Do you want a new pair of the darkest, blackest socks to slip into every few months?  Well, look no further than BlackSocks’ Sockscription.  This subscription will send you three new black pairs of socks every four months, so that you can unify your sock drawer, and never have to go sock shopping again.  And, with a unified sock drawer, losing a sock will never matter again!

BlackSocks Sockscription

3. Underwear

Like BlackSocks does for socks, MeUndies is looking to revolutionize your underwear drawer.  Every month, MeUndies will send you a new cozy pair of underwear to slip into–and with a variety of styles and colors, your subscription can be catered to your tastes.  Additionally, MeUndies underwear is made out of modal, a fabric much softer than the typical cotton undergarments.

MeUndies Subscription

4. Feminine Products

Look, periods suck, and no one wants to think or talk about them, let alone remembering to go out shopping for feminine products before Aunt Flo pays her monthly visit.  Le Parcel is a simple subscription by comparison… every month, a bit before a lady’s time begins, Le Parcel will send a care package with all the tampons you need (from a name brand of your choice)… and a chocolate treat as well, to help curb those cravings a bit.  There’s even a few other goodies, at well!  Simple, yet so helpful for you (or a lady friend in need).

Le Parcel Period Subscription

5. Toothbrushes and Toothpaste

Do you find shopping for dental products a little too overwhelming?  If you have an electric toothbrush, finding new brush heads for it can be surprisingly a pain, and all the different brands and varieties of toothpastes seems unnecessary and needlessly confusing.  Quip is looking to go back to basics with a simple electronic toothbrush with no frills attached (so no weird settings or apps) and a basic, simple toothpaste that gets your teeth nice and clean.  If you opt into it, you can also choose a subscription that gets you a new brush head, full sized toothpaste and travel sized toothpaste every three months, saving the need to remember to search for and buy new supplies.

Quip Store

6. Fancy Paper

Maybe you’re a crafty person, doing neat little DIY projects and making collages.  Maybe you’re an artist, creating work on quality parchment.  Or maybe, you just like good paper.  No matter the situation, OliveBox has you covered with a monthly box filled with high-quality ‘lifestyle items’, which ranges from notebooks to card to… just nice paper.  It’s a perfect subscription for someone who that truly appreciate some good stationary.

OliveBox Subscription

7. Stuff from Celebrities

Are you the sort of person that enjoys getting ‘inspired’ by celebrities?  Whether that be trying a new culinary skill, trying to write the next hit novel, or anything else, Quarterly sends out packages every three months that are curated by well known artists, chefs, scientists, and any profession in between.  With ten different boxes to choose from, all with vastly different themes, anyone can be pleased and feel inspired by this neat subscription… or maybe just get some neat stuff.

Quarterly.co

8. Grass for Your Dog to Poop In

So anyone with a dog knows that sometimes… going out to walk your dog can be a real pain.  It might be cold, or there’s a hurricane outside, but when nature calls for your pup you have no choice but to brave the elements… or do you?  Not anymore!  DoggieLawn has created the Dog Potty Grass, which is a patch of grass you can place in your home for your dog to do their business in.  Think of it as a mix between home training and a cat’s litter box… the best of both worlds!  And your dog will be able to go whenever they want.  You can get new patches of grass weekly, biweekly, or monthly.

Dog Potty Grass

9. Food… With Music

Everyone’s heard of wine and meal pairings, but what about music and meal pairings?  Turntable Kitchen has an interesting idea for the foodie/audiophile in your life.  Every month, Turntable will send you three recipes to try with 1 or 2 of the premium ingredients (you’ll have to get the rest of them yourself), as well as an exclusive 7″ vinyl record, and a digital version of the music to play with this tasty meal.  It’s just unique enough that the person that has it all… probably doesn’t have this subscription.

Turntable’s Pairings Box

10. Retro Doodads

If you’re stuck in the past, it can be a little hard at times to feed your obsession for the oldies.  Exploring Goodwills and scouting eBay can be fun, but sometimes you just want stuff delivered to your door without such a large time commitment.

Thankfully, the Retro Pop subscription box is here to help, with items from the decade of your choice–either the 70’s, 80’s, or 90’s.  Each box comes with an exclusive t-shirt done just for the box… and while it might not be an authentic item from the decade, it encapsulates the style of the time well.

Retro Pop Box

10 Unusual Subscription Services You Didn’t Know You Wanted

Have you heard of Google Play Rewards? I can’t blame you if you haven’t–it’s not the most advertised app around. However, the app can help you earn Google Play credit, which you can then in turn use to buy new apps, upgrade free apps to premium/pro version, and pay for in-app purchases. It’s quite easy to use, too! Today you’re going to learn everything you need to know about the Google Play Rewards app (which is free, by the way), including recommendations to spend your new found funds on. Of course, please be aware that this is only an Android thing.

With that, let’s get started! First and foremost, you’ll definitely want to go ahead and download the Google Play Rewards app:

Google Play Rewards

What does the Google Play Rewards app do?

What Google Play Rewards does is give you surveys, and completing the surveys will give you up to $1 in Google Play credit (usually it’s around ten cents, though). This varies a bit from popular survey sites like SwagBucks, though. First off, you immediately get the credit added to your account (unless there’s a connection error, but then you’ll get the credit in a couple hours), so you don’t have to worry about waiting to redeem points or anything like that. Secondly, surveys and everything else are all handled in-app, so you don’t have to worry about having survey redirect and dead links, or being disqualified for a survey last minute like I’ve had happen all too often with Swagbucks. Finally, surveys only take a minute at the absolute most to fill out, so you don’t need to set any time aside to get work done. All and all it’s a much better version of Swagbucks, though of course unlike the latter you can’t really make a ton of money off it (though really, are those stories even true) and you’re only getting Google Play credit.

How do I make sure I keep getting surveys?

Google Play surveys are mainly personalized for you and the things that you do with your phone on your Google account. There will be occasional surveys that get more basic data about you that doesn’t offer any credit (things that most surveys will ask you such as age, pay grade, etc) and these will also help with your other surveys and what kinds you’ll get. In order to get the most out of the app, keep some things in mind:

Keep your location data on. This is the single most important thing you can do if you want to keep the surveys coming in. Most of Google Play Reward’s surveys are about asking if you’ve been to certain places and to rate your experience if you have–if you don’t have location services on, then you won’t be getting those surveys. It’s understandable if you don’t want location on at all times, as there’s plenty of reasons to not want that, but know that this app isn’t going to do much for you then.

Don’t lie on the surveys you get. Building off the above, Google Play will send surveys asking you if you’ve been to a location and none of the locations match up with anywhere you’ve been to (or even anywhere in your city). It can be tempting to fill out a survey to get a reward anyway, but there are plenty of reports out there that lying on the location surveys in turn seems to get you less surveys and lower credit rewards. After all, they do you where you’ve been. Besides, even clicking ‘none of the above’ gets you a credit reward, so there’s no real incentive to say anything other than the truth.

Watch YouTube videos on the same Google account your phone is tied to. The second most often surveys I get from the rewards app are surveys that pop up from time to time about the YouTube videos I watch. I actually don’t watch YouTube all that often, so it might pop up more often for more avid users. The YouTube surveys basically ask if you liked the video you watched, if the recommendations you’re presented are things you might click on, etc, and usually go for a bit more than the location surveys.

Don’t forget to answer the surveys that you have. Once you get a survey, you should get a notification and you have 24 hours to respond to it. You also get another notification when it’s about to expire as a reminder. It’s not a stretch of the logic to assume that if you let surveys expire Google Play will probably send less to you, so don’t let them expire if you’re able.

What should I use my credit on?

I’ve used Google Play Rewards for almost exactly two years now, and have made almost $81 dollars in credit. While not a gigantic amount, it’s more than enough to have some fun on the Play Store. I used a lot of my credit to either buy apps when they were on sale, or upgrade some free apps to an ad-free version of it. If you need some good Android apps to try out, here’s a couple recommendations below:

Nova Launcher Prime – $4.99

The normal version of Nova Launcher is free, but Prime really ups the home screen customization options. If you want a customizable home screen that you can make perfectly to your wishes, you can’t beat this!

Pocket Casts – $3.99

If you listen to podcasts, you need Pocket Casts. Pocket Casts is basically the number one podcast listening app, and for good reason–when I’ve listened to podcasts in the past, I found Pocket Casts had the options I needed to play the episodes the way I wanted to, and was far less buggy than the free options.

Goat Simulator – $4.99

What’s the fun if you don’t splurge on something silly every once and a while? Goat Simulator is just that, a silly little game starring a goat. Give it a whirl!

What do you recommend to buy from the Google Play Store? Let us know in the comments!

Using Google Play Rewards to Pay for Your Mobile Apps

It’s that time of the week again… time for another fun Humble Bundle to make the gaming backlog cry while making your wallet smile for the low price you paid. well, provided you don’t decide to invest in the $80 tier this time around. The Very Positive bundle focuses on Steam games that have Very Positive review ratings on Steam. This bundle may not be the biggest around, but you can be sure you’re getting some quality titles.

$1 Tier

Rive: Wreck, Hack, Die, Retry

Some of this might be obvious from the game’s subtitle, but Rive is a difficult shooter in which you’ll rain bullet hell down on your enemies, hack robots, and die. A lot. Rive is challenging but has a satisfying reward loop that will keep you from getting too frustrated and coming back for more.

Neon Chrome

Neon Chrome is a shooter rogue-like title that isn’t very neon or chrome, but that’s quite alright for someone like me (bright colors can cuz me motion sickness). Go through procedurally levels, inevitably die, purchase permanent upgrades and try again. Any fan of rogue-likes will likely enjoy this title.

Dungeon Souls

Hope you like rogue-likes, as Dungeon Souls is another one for this $1 tier! Dungeon Souls, not to be confused with Dark Souls, does not have procedurally generated dungeons, but death does make you lose most of your progress. However, you do earn character bonuses and coins to get advantages in new runs, so there is always a sense of progress here.

Beat the Average Tier

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Game of the Year Edition

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USC91q9Lx70

Shadow of Mordor made huge waves when it originally released, with its Nemesis system giving players a real game rival to pursue and fight against. If you haven’t picked up this game, now’s a perfect chance, as the Game of the Year edition also comes with the Shadow of Mordor season pass.

Ultimate Chicken Horse

Ultimate Chicken Horse may be a weird name, but it’s also a great game to play with friends… well, good friends, as this is the type of party game that can ruin friendships. You and up to three friends work together to get past platforming challenges… but with a point system in place, there’s an incentive to screw over the people you’re supposed to work with in order get ahead.

Oxenfree

Oxenfree is an adventure type horror game. Think a bit like Until Dawn, but far less campy and more serious. Oxenfree pulls you in with its great writing and cast of characters, who have to survive when they somehow open a rift to another ghostly dimension.

$10 Tier

Death Road to Canada

Oregon Trail meets rogue-like, Death Road to Canada has you controlling two players as they try to make the road trip from Florida to Canada in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. Obviously easier said than done, as you’ll run into a lot of opposition along the way. If you liked Organ Trail (no, I didn’t spell Oregon incorrectly this time), Death Road to Canada is worth a play.

Beat Cop

Beat Cop is a non-linear adventure game set in the 80s. You were framed with a murder, and as such lost job as a detective and instead are just a regular beat cop now. Try to find who framed you so you can get back to the big cases… but don’t get killed or neglect your day-to-day duties along the way.

$80 Tier

Middle-earth: Shadow of War

Pre-order, comes with a T-shirt

Have you been meaning to pre-order Shadow of War on Steam, but haven’t gotten around to it yet? Your procrastination has paid off, as the $80 tier of this bundle will net you all of the above games, a pre-order for Middle-earth: Shadow of War (out next month), and an exclusive t-shirt. The price might seem a little steep at first glance, but if you factor in all the other games and the shirt, it’s not a bad deal at all if you planned on pre-ordering the game on PC in the first place!

Are you going to grab the Humble Very Positive 2 Bundle? Which games are your favorites from this bundle? Let us know in the comments!

Humble Very Positive Bundle 2

It’s time for another Humble Bundle! This bundle mashes up three big gaming companies–Capcom, Sega, and Atlus–to bring a bundle full of some high quality titles for a super cheap price. There is a mix of genres in here as well, so there’s likely to be a few games that will appeal to anyone. Let’s get into the list, shall we?

$1 tier

Rollers of the Realm

Rollers of the Realm is an odd mix of a pinball game and… RPG? Well, we’ve gotten a mix of RPG and Match-3 games in the past, so this just seems like the natural evolution. Rollers of the Realm is worth a try just for the interesting mashup alone.

Zeno Clash 2

Zeno Clash 2 is the sequel to the original first person brawler. Zeno Clash 2 has a large and unique world to explore, and is sure to be worth your time as one of many games you get for a single dollar. While Zeno Clash 2 did not get the best critical reception, there is still plenty to enjoy here.

Sonic Adventure 2

Who doesn’t know what Sonic Adventure 2 is at this point? If you don’t own a Steam copy of this Dreamcast and GameCube copy of this 3D Sonic title now’s your chance to grab one at an extremely cheap price. Fun fact, Humble Bundle did not have a video for this game so please enjoy an official SEGA stream of Pumpkin Hill instead.

Bionic Commando

A sequel of the NES original, Bionic Commando takes some grappling, exploding action into the 3D world. Taking place 10 years after the original game, this new Bionic Commando is darker and grittier.

Citizens of Earth

Citizens of Earth attempts to recapture the quirkiness of Earthbound in a new game. Starring the Vice President of the world, return to your hometown in this RPG and get to the bottom of some strange happenings. Citizens of Earth is overall a light-hearted adventure.

Beat the Average Tier

Renegade Ops Collection

Renegade Ops is an over the top, co-op action game with an arcade flair. The Renegade Ops Collection includes the main game, the Coldstrike Campaign, and the Reinforcement Pack which has two new playable characters.

Sonic Generations Collection

Sonic Generations is the Sonic title that successfully melded the series’ 3D and 2D playstyles, and ended up being one of the most critically accepted Sonic titles in years, at that time. Control Classic and Modern Sonic as you work through reimagined stages throughout the series’ history. The Sonic Generations Collection also includes the DLC Casino Night level.

Resident Evil 4

Resident Evil 4 is a well-known game, one that many cite as what helped to revitalize the horror genre. If you haven’t had the chance to play this classic yet, now’s the perfect chance with the PC port! It’s hard not to recommend this title given its high status among gamers.

Dead Rising

The Dead Rising series has gone on for a while, but for some reason Capcom just loves going back to Frank West. Well, if you’re wondering why, now’s your chance to find out with the original Dead Rising! He’s covered wars, you know… and zombie attacks.

Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure

Adventure games are a genre that are nowadays usually relegated to the indie scene, but the Tesla Effect is a bit of an exception to the rule. Tesla Effect is a FMV adventure game, and will be a big hit of nostalgia for those yearning for the gaming of the 90s.

$12 Tier

Motorsport Manager

Motorsport Manager was originally a mobile title, but it was re-released on Steam with updated graphics and more. Step away from the racing itself and step into a management role, making sure your racers have what they need to win.

Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition

The Devil May Cry series may have gotten some flack with its most recent entry (a re-imagining of the series), but you can’t go wrong with Devil May Cry 4. The Special Edition gives you plenty more playable characters and the same depth of action that makes the series so popular in the first place.

This is a meaty bundle! What are your favorite games from this bundle? Let us know in the comments!

Humble Capcom x Sega x Atlus Bundle

ThinkGeek is jumping on the subscription box train with the ThinkGeek Capsule, a box chock full of nerdy goods from one of the top companies for nerd swag. It’s seems like a no brainer for anyone that likes collectibles, but there’s also the chance that ThinkGeek just stuffs their clearance items in a box to get rid of it all once and for all. How does the Capsule stack up?

Before getting into the items in the box, let’s talk about how the Capsule works. Each Capsule is $24.99, with $5 shipping, so it rounds out to right under $30. The Capsule isn’t quite a monthly box–you can order a Capsule until it sells out (even after all the items are revealed). Also, ThinkGeek doesn’t do an automatic subscription like most subscription box sites do, so you don’t have to worry about cancelling.

The box I’m reviewing today is simply the Capsule #3, which was billed to include an item from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. There was originally a delay in getting the box due to ThinkGeek having to wait on one of the items. ThinkGeek was really good at communicating the delay, though.

Now, let’s get into the items themselves:

Justice League Funko Pop!

Funko Pops are quite the popular figurine line, so it’s a no-brainer that ThinkGeek would have one in the Capsule! This Capsule featured the Justice League Pops for the upcoming movie, and you had a chance of getting one of the six. I ended up getting The Flash, which is cool, he’s one of the Justice League members I like more! The other figures are Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Batman, and Cyborg.

Fantastic Beasts Journal

The Fantastic Beasts item for this Capsule is a nice journal! I’m always one for more journals and stationary, and I really like how this cover looks. There were two different covers to get–the one I got is the Obliviate cover, which is in reference to the magic spell that makes people forget things. Fitting for a journal to write stuff down in so you don’t forget!

Collectible Pinz: Cats in Cosplay

These are adorable. A Capsule exclusive, you get… well, a cat in cosplay! There’s a trick, though–the pins are randomly chosen, and you have a chance to get a rare pin. I got one of the more common pins (1 in 5 chance), but there were pins that had a 3 in 100 chance and a super rare pin that doesn’t even have a percentage chance. Regardless, though, the pin is super cute, and has some weight to it.

Retro Travel Tag

This may not be for everyone, but it’s perfect for me! It’s a simple travel tag to stick on some luggage in case it gets lost. I love that it’s in the shape of a floppy disk… of course, I also have a floppy disk pillow so maybe I’m a bit biased. I needed a travel tag too for my suitcase, so now I have one less thing I have to buy. The tag is a nice size and the ‘string’ is made out of plastic, so it’s unlikely to fall off easily.

ThinkGeek Promo Credit

ThinkGeek doesn’t want you to not shop at their online store, after all. This card has a code for promotional credit to use at ThinkGeek, and the value can be anywhere from $5 to $100. My code was only $5, as I’m not exactly the luckiest person around, but free money is free money!

Tardis T-Shirt

The Capsule has a shirt that comes with every box, and this month is a Doctor Who themed shirt. I really like the box that it came in, it’s a nice touch. I’m not the biggest Doctor Who fan, but I do like the design on the shirt.

Overall, I really like what the Capsule provides. It’s a pretty good deal for $30, and while some might complain that the Capsule only covers more ‘popular’ series and whatnot, it’s the best way to please most people that would like to buy a subscription box like this in the first place. It’s well worth it for any swag seeking nerd.

Order the third ThinkGeek Capsule here!

ThinkGeek Capsule Subscription Box Review