Don’t give Dad another tacky tie this Father’s Day. Instead gift him with with one of these cool subscription boxes for men. Yeah, they like surprises on the reg, too. 

Sometimes it seems all too easy to fall into those old Father’s Day gift-giving tropes–the tie, the golf-themed tchotchkes, a “World’s Best Dad” coffee mug. While your dad may appreciate the thought, we are pretty sure that stuff just ends up in a landfill somewhere. Why not gift your dad something cool that he will actually use this year instead? And what’s with all the subscription boxes aimed at us ladies? Guys dig ’em too, even if they play it cool.

Of course, the trick is to get your dad a subscription box that he will actually use–for goodness sake, don’t get him a bad tie subscription!

We have selected some of our favorite subscription boxes that just might be perfect for gifting your dad this Father’s Day. These boxes just might also be perfect for your mom’s birthday, holiday gift-giving, for a housewarming gift, and more.

9 Subscription Boxes for Men

1. Dollar Shave Club – Unless your dad has a full-on beard give him the gift of quality replacement razors. The Dollar Shave Club is super affordable and offers replacement razors that are suitable for men and women shavers.
2. Craft Beer Club – This club is perfect for the microbrew enthusiast dad. At just $39 a month, it will get your dad 12 independently-brewed beers delivered each month.
3. Bos Creek – Bos Creek offers monthly subscription boxes full of meat from grass-fed pasture-raised animals. There are beef, mixed meat, and custom boxes available.
4. Mantry – While the name may be kind of questionable, the service is not. The Mantry box delivers six curated food products around a theme from artisan makers every two months. Past box themes include Pizza Party, Bourbon BBQ, and Tailgate Tour.
5. Bitters and Bottles – The Bitters and Bottles Home Bar subscription includes 4-6 full-size quality ingredients delivered monthly.  Each box provides curated spirits for craft cocktails that aren’t too basic, but nothing too fancy either.
6. Nerd Block – Nerd Block is a toy collection subscription box. Every month their expert nerds select outstanding gear, toys and collectibles to curate the nerdiest of toy collectible boxes.
7. Loot Crate – In the same vein as Nerd Block, but with more gear, Loot Crate delivers the best in geek and gaming gear. From collectibles, apparel, tech gadgets, art, and other epic gear, Loot Crate claims to be like Comic-Con in a box.
8. Naturebox  – Help your dad snack healthier and tastier by gifting him a Naturebox subscription. Who wouldn’t love snacks delivered to their door each month?
9. KinderBox – KinderBox claims to be a monthly subscription box service for men. While we would argue that many women would like the boxes too, we do like the mix of everyday outdoorsy adventure gear and grooming products offered and think it would be a great gift for many dads.

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Gift mom with one of these subscription boxes for Mother’s Day this year. It’s the gift that will keep on giving.

For some of us, Mother’s Day can sometimes be fraught with the gift-giving conundrum. What to gift the woman who brought you into this world and continues to nourish your mind, body, and soul with her motherly wisdom, love, and chicken soup when you’re sick? We think subscription boxes, while a pale comparison to how awesome your mom is, are a brilliant solution for Mother’s Day. It is possible to find subscription boxes that will fit the personality of most moms. Is your mom an adventurous cook, an avid reader, a lover of animals? There’s a box for that.

We have selected some of our favorite subscription boxes–hopefully, one is a fit for your mom!

Subscription Boxes for Mother’s Day

1. KitNipBox – Is your mom a cat lover? Gift her (and her favorite feline) a monthly box of cat goodies for crazy cat fun all year long. And if your mom is more of a dog person, try out Barkbox. While these may seem more like presents for your Mom’s pets, serious pet lovers would love these boxes!
2. Book Drop – For readers who prefer physical books over digital books, try out Book Drop. It’s a subscription box that is lovingly created and run by a little independent bookstore. There are several different options from which to choose, but “The Jane” box is by far the most popular. It features Contemporary, Historical, and Literary Fiction titles.
3. Audible – And while it’s not a subscription box per se, Audible is a monthly audiobook subscription service perfect for those prefer to listen to books. For a monthly subscription, members can choose a new audiobook to listen to each month. Listeners can enjoy their books on their phones, tablets, computers, and via Bluetooth devices too.
4. The Spicery – This subscription box is another in the very large category of food and cooking boxes, but it’s all about trying something new. With options that include Friday Night Curry, Date Night, and Meat Free Magic, there’s a lot of variety for adventurous and spicy cooks.
5. Chroma Club – If your mom is into the adult coloring book craze, gift her with the Chromas Club. Beautiful and original coloring books will be shipped to her every month. The club boasts that their coloring books are the perfect blend of art, fun, and challenge, with illustrations drawn by artists from around the world.
6. Terra Bella Box – The Terra Bella Box includes handmade, small-batch beauty products made from natural ingredients. Each month subscribers receive a variety of beauty products for face, body, bath, hair, and sometimes even cosmetics.
7. Norsebox – Norsebox calls itself the Nordic Design Subscription. Each Norsebox features 1-5 seasonal items from Scandinavian designers. The boxes focus on one room of the home, but will move around each month to give each room a fresh, Scandinavian update.
8. Club W – If your mom likes a glass of wine (or 2) in the evening, gift her the Club W subscription. Club W works with subscribers to create a palate profile to deliver the wines that you (or your mom–remember this gift is for your mom) will love.
9. Love Goodly – This subscription features a mix of eco-friendly, nontoxic, cruelty-free, vegan products that can include everything from beauty, skincare, and wellness goodies to snacks and style accessories. Sounds perfectly lovely for your conscious shopping mom.

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Image: Present on Wooden Background via Shutterstock

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Get your cat lady on with this genius subscription box service.

When most people think “cat lady,” they picture some reclusive, frizzy-haired woman who wears burlap. Ew, right? Thankfully for us, there’s a fellow cat lady named Dorian Wagner who hopes to change all that. (You may have heard of her: She’s the brains behind the aw-inducing cat video site Your Daily Cute.)

Wagner recently launched CatLadyBox, a monthly subscription box service especially for cat lovers. Her goal for the service is two-fold: To provide you with adorbs feline finds you can’t get anywhere else, and to change the whole stereotypical cat lady vibe.

The inaccurate way we’re perceived is something Wagner’s quite familiar with. If you Google “crazy cat lady,” her picture comes up at the top of the search results. Seriously, try it. You’ll find this:

That’s Wagner handing out treats at a local cat shelter. Over the past several years, the photo’s made its way all over the Internet—and usually, appearing next to the term “crazy cat lady.”

But being that she’s in fact not crazy (just crazy about cats), she’s now on a mission to change the way the world looks at cat lovers:

“It’s time to kick the “crazy cat lady” stereotype to the curb. We all know cats make amazing pets, and the people who own them are amazing as well! We are not that one extreme person they see on the news every now and then. We are beautiful, intelligent, fun, successful, big-hearted, respect-worthy women… who love cats. Imagine the difference it would make and how many more cats would be adopted if everyone thought that being a cat lady was the thing to be!”

I couldn’t have put it better myself.

Okay, now onto the good stuff: Each product in the subscription box is curated from local and independent artists, shops and sites, so you’ll never have to worry about receiving run-of-the-mill swag. Goodies may include things like jewelry, shirts, scarves, home decor items, and even books.

You can either choose between the basic CatLadyBox, which contains 2-3 cat-themed items handpicked especially for you, or the Crazy CatLadyBox, which contains treats for both you and your kitties. No two months are ever alike, so every month will be like Christmas (you know, only way better).

And just to make sure your ovaries are all aflutter, CatLadyBox donates a full 5 percent of profits each month to various cat rescues and charities. “Saving cats is something we’ve always been passionate about,” the site reads. “Together, we can make a huge difference for cats, one new cat lady (and cat guy) at a time.”

Me. Ow.

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Cat lady image via Shutterstock

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Food subscription boxes you’ll want to take a bite out of. 

If you like discovering new foods, there’s no shortage of options, especially when you get those new foods delivered straight to your door. But this isn’t just about getting tasty food without having to leave the house, it’s about supporting cool food businesses and having fun in the process. Maybe even discovering a new favorite food you never knew existed.

Trust me, this isn’t your average Wine of the Month Club.

1. Hot Sauce

Love to smother everything you eat in hot sauce? Then you need Sauce Pack. These food subscription boxes will come to your door every month with one thing and one thing only: American made hot sauces. You’ll end up with three new bottles of hot sauce every month, ensuring that you’ll never go without a spicy meal. You can choose a variety of subscription options, from Mild Mannered (one pack, billed monthly) to Hell in a Handbasket (12 packs, billed yearly).

2. Coffee and Chocolate

When it comes to voting with your fork, coffee and chocolate are two of the goods where what you’re buying really matters. Coffee and chocolate aficionados will be happy to know they’re buying the good stuff in the Caffe Vita and Theo Chocolate subscription. This craft coffee roaster from Seattle is committed to sourcing and working directly with its farmers, so its no surprise that their sustainability ethos aligned with local chocolate company Theo Chocolate, who makes sure all of their cocoa beans are organic and Fair Trade certified. The subscription includes one 12 ounce bag of coffee and one chocolate bar every month, and can be bought in 3, 6 or 12 month subscriptions.

3. Vegan Snacks

While you’re good at making your own green smoothies and all, sometimes you just want an easy, packaged snack. For that there’s the Vegan Snack Box from Vegan Cuts. Full of vegan-friendly treats, from chips to tea, these snacks are sure to feed your junk food craving, and without the guilt. The boxes are available in 1, 3, 6 and 12 month subscriptions.

4. Pickles

Oh you wanted a pickle subscription? Well, you can get that. Mouth, the company behind the Pickles Every Month subscription, is devoted to promoting indie food, so you can be sure that your pickles aren’t your average ones off the grocery shelf. And it won’t just be your classic pickled cucumbers; you’ll find your way working through pickled beets, carrots, cauliflower, okra, garlic scapes, peppers, grapes, garlic, cherries, mushrooms, tomatoes, and fennel. Pickles Every Month is available in 3, 6, 9 and 12 month subscriptions.

5. Snacks that Give Back

What’s neat about Love With Food isn’t just what’s in their food subscription boxes – organic and all-natural, healthy snacks – but what comes along with it. For every box that goes out, Love With Food donates meal to a hungry child. Working with different food banks, since launching Love With Food has donated more than 320,000 meals.

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Image: Vegan Cuts

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