I have insomnia that I learned pretty recently is caused by ADHD.
I don’t have any trouble falling asleep, but my brain recharges much faster than my body. After four or five hours I’m not just awake—I’m wide awake. Often with a fully-formed idea that my resting, unmedicated brain (because it’s fully worn off by then) has cooked up.
Also, I love good mail. A lot.
This morning I woke up with a virtual subscription box on my mind. That’s basically a curated box of stuff—that you can go order for yourself if you want to. Or tweak it and order things that are more perfectly suited to you.
So that you get good mail.
I’ve done this before—I think it’s a good idea. But I’ve always done it as a writer’s virtual subscription box and I end up losing interest because there are only so many craft books, notebooks, and pens I want to spend time virtually shopping for.
This morning I thought—what if I designed a virtual subscription box around my monthly themes? Every year I pick twelve of them. Here’s my 2024 list:
January: Declutter (my word of the year)
February: Joy
March: Home
April: Money
May: Health
June: Adventure
July: Spirit
August: Work
September: Learn
October: Self-Care
November: Family
December: Organize and Systemize
My theme for February is Joy. If I order my box today, I’ll have everything in time. So—here goes.
Here are the rules for my virtual subscription box: I’m going to find things related to my theme that cost about $25 total.
I’m also, just for kicks, going to design an upgrade to $100 for folks who are paid subscribers. (Thank you!!!)
The links will be to Amazon. If you click a link and by anything, you’ll be supporting Ninja Writers at no additional cost to you. (Thank you, again!!!)
First, I spent some time thinking about what it is exactly that I want to get out of focusing on Joy for a month.
February is a historically tough month for me. By historically, I mean since we moved to Pennsylvania. It’s just—really rough. It feels like it’s been winter and dreary and gray and wet my entire life and that I’ve somehow found myself in the worst part of Narnia: always winter, never Christmas.
I’ve also just been overwhelmed and tired lately, which has made me kind of cranky. I hate, hate, hate being cranky. It’s not my natural state. I want to feel good. That’s joy to me. I want to have the energy and desire to do things that make me happy.
First up for February is a book about Joy.
The Book of Joy by Dalai Lama XIV and Desmond Tutu. Mostly because…look at these faces. I want to feel like this
A brand new hardcover copy costs $19.11 as I write this. There are many used copies available for about $10.
I actually ended up using an Audible credit, which was free when I joined Audible last month. So—this won’t take up any of your $25 if you join Audible or already have a credit available.
Next, another book—this one to teach me something new.
Learning how to do something brings me great joy and also helps me get through the winter. It occupies my hamster mind and gives me a series of wins—because everything I do is the first time I’ve done it.
I want to learn to sew. I own a sewing machine that I don’t know how to use. And because I’m not great at doing things I’m not good at already (like most adults,) I just keep putting it off.
Specifically, I want to learn to alter or refashion my clothes. I have a little collection of things I bought specifically for this purpose. So, February is the month I finally figure out how to use my sewing machine.
I’m starting with this book. It costs $21.95 for a new copy. Again, there are many copies used for about $10. And…drumroll…it’s free with Kindle Unlimited, which I have. So I’m downloaded that. If I like it, I might buy a hard copy later, if I think that it will be easier to do the projects.
You won’t want this book unless you also want to learn to refashion your clothes in February. Choose something that you have always wanted to know how to do and find a book to teach you how (bonus if it’s free on Kindle Unlimited.)
You can seriously expand your virtual subscription box if you have Audible and Kindle Unlimited, I’m just saying.
So far, I have two books and I haven’t spent any of my $25.
If you’re playing along, you could buy either of these books new, add in a little something that makes you smile, and have a joy-themed virtual subscription box. You know, if learning to refashion clothes will bring you joy. Go ahead and pick a book that will teach you something that you want to do. (Of course.)
I added chocolate to my joy box. For obvious reasons, right?
This is kind of a big deal, because I’ve spent the last month dairy-free and I don’t have a stomach ache for the first time in (I’m not joking) my entire life. I am extremely lactose intolerant.
Don’t come for me, but I don’t want dairy-free dark chocolate. I’d rather skip it. I want creamy, smooth milk chocolate. Without milk. So, I went on the search. And—holy cow. Rabbit hole.
Chocolate is problematic, you guys. Hugely.
My husband and I went vegan just for the month of January. And as part of that, I learned a lot about how meat is processed.
I’m going to be very honest and say that my health isn’t always a good enough reason for me to not eat something I want to eat. But I am literally not going to eat a fast-food hamburger that involved burning down the freaking rainforest. And I’m not going to impulse buy a cheap chocolate that involved child slave labor. I’m just not.
For me, those are just kind of bare-minimum humanity things. And in the end, it’ll also be better for my health. Which is good, because I clearly needed to know about the conditions of laborers in the Ivory Coast to stop randomly eating Snickers bars.
(Season 2, episode 5 of Netflix’s Rotten has more info about the chocolate trade.)
So, this rabbit hole brought me up again two problems. One: most vegan (read: dairy free) chocolate is dark. And I don’t want dark chocolate. Two: it’s doubly hard to find milk chocolate that is also fair trade certified.
What I ended up with was Guittard chocolate chips. They aren’t milk chocolate, but in cookies, that’s okay. It doesn’t say vegan or dairy-free, but these are the ingredients: Cane Sugar, Cacao Beans, Cocoa Butter, Sunflower Lecithin And Vanilla. No dairy.
They cost $8.29 right now, marked down from $9.94. Is nearly $10 a lot for chocolate chips? It feels that way to me. Of course. I’m used to spending maybe 1/3 of that. Because—slave labor.
And lastly—vanilla.
I figured, if I’m making cookies, I might as well give myself the joy of doing something I’ve always wanted to: make my own vanilla.
The three ingredients that are historically grown and processed by the poorest humans and consumed by the wealthiest are chocolate, coffee, and vanilla. So, I went back down the rabbit hole. This time looking for ethical vanilla beans.
Take a look at this screenshot, please.
Right. $273. For FOUR OUNCES of vanilla. Way more than my little subscription box experiment can support. Also, ask yourself why companies that aren’t certified fair trade can sell their beans for so little.
Slave labor again. No thanks.
I did a little more research and found some Tongan vanilla beans that were ethical and had an option to buy just two, which is plenty for my purposes. Those two cost $14.99. There’s a 25 percent coupon right now, too, which brings it down to something like $11.00.
And with that, I’m right up against my $25 threshold, since I used an Audible credit and Kindle Unlimited for the books.
Below the paywall, you’ll see how I upgraded this to a $100 box. For extra-extra dopamine.
If you would like to subscribe to support our work (and you know, satisfy your curiosity), click the button below.
I never worry too much about the ethics of my clothes, because I always buy clothes second hand. Which automatically makes it far more sustainable than buying new in a store.
I’m keeping it out of the landfill, and that’s a good thing for the Earth. The hunt for good thrift store finds is also my #1 favorite dopamine provider. I would rather find a vintage Coach bag in my favorite thrift store in Philadelphia for $15 than buy one for $100 at the outlet in Buffalo.
So, it’s a good thing for me, too.
But shoes are a different story. I wear a women’s size 11.5. They don’t make that size, mostly, so I have to wear a half-size too big. And that means that I never, ever find second hand shoes, because almost no one wears a women’s size 12. And I promise you that if they found something cute, they wore it to pieces.
I’m not squeamish about wearing thrift-shop shoes. I just never find any women’s shoes in my size. I do find men’s shoes or unisex shoes—so that’s what I usually wear. Mostly Converse or Vans sneakers. They suit my style and fit well. A size 9.5 in men’s is an 11.5 in women’s—and a totally standard men’s shoe size.
Lots of options. It’s a good thing I like Converse and Vans.
But, I would get a lot of joy out of a really good, sustainably produced pair of slippers.
After some research, I’ve added these BureBure slippers to my February elite $100 virtual subscription box. I love the so much. They’re what my grandma used to call house shoes. Not slippers—more substantial and put together than that. But also not shoes you’d spend a whole day outside in.
First: They are freaking adorable. I got a burst of joy just finding them.
They also come in a very wide range of sizes. Including a women’s size 11.5 you guys! And they have great reviews. They should last years, are sustainably and humanely produced.
And did I mention? Totally cute. As someone with feet big enough to preclude most cute shoes, I really love these.
They cost $89, which will take me up a touch over with everything in the $25 virtual box. An indoor/outdoor sole is an extra $10. It would likely be worth it, so that I don’t have to take them on and off if I’m just running outside for a minute.
These slippers are custom made as you buy them and they ship from Lithuania. I purchased mine today and they’ll be delivered the end of February.
So…round up!
$25 February “Joy” Virtual Subscription Box
The Book of Joy by The Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu. FREE if you have an Audible credit. Otherwise $10 to $20, depending on whether you buy a new or used copy, or purchase it on Kindle.
A Kindle Unlimited book that will teach you something you’ve always wanted to know. I went with 50 Nifty Upcycled Fashions by Cynthia Anderson. FREE if you have Kindle Unlimited. Otherwise $10 to $20, depending on whether you buy a new or used copy, or purchase it on Kindle.
Dairy-free, fair trade chocolate chips that I can feel good about making cookies with, and that won’t make me sick. $8.29 (on sale right now.)
Two fair trade vanilla beans for making my own extract. $14.97 (minus a 25 percent coupon that’s available as I write this.)
Grand Total: $19.26 with the vanilla coupon.
If you have Audible and Kindle Unlimited. If you don’t, and you want a $25 box, you’ll probably could keep it to one used book and the chocolate.
$100 February “Joy” Virtual Subscription Box Upgrade
All of the above, plus a pair of sustainably, ethically produce wool slippers. I bought these for $89.
Full disclosure: I paid $10 extra for the shoes, so that they’d have indoor/outdoor soles.
Grand total: $108.26. (Or $118.26, if you upgrade the shoes.)
If I was stickler, I’d put back the chocolate, which would put this order right around $100. But I’m not. I spent way too much time researching those morsels not to make the cookies.
If you have Amazon Prime, you won’t pay extra for shipping for any of this. If you don’t, you’ll need to factor that in.
Whew. That’s it. Let me know if you decide to order your own virtual subscription box. Did you get what I got? Did you get something else?
Shaunta, What a great idea. I love curating our own dopamine hits! Mindfully, choicefully. And good mail is always a treat, yes? Makes me think I'll send a card or two out of the blue to a friend or neighbor I haven't seen in awhile. Also, my subscription box for Feb would include 'armchair travel' -- a glossy travel magazine or coffee table book. Maybe of the Chao Phraya River in Thailand, or the Seine in Paris ...