Homeschooling the Teen Years - Subscription Services: Universal Yums.

We just finished up the last little packets of Italian crackers and chips from our first, monthly Universal Yums box, and are waiting with some (not quite great, but slightly more than mild) anticipation to see what will arrive this month, and from where?

Generally, I try to avoid subscription services at this time of year, like the plague.  The on-set of snow-induced cabin fever can make me especially susceptible to any pitch promising "fun in a box", as our burgeoning game cupboard can attest.
 
So, I knew I was in trouble when I learned that delicious snacks could be delivered right to our door from a different country each month (thanks  Dawn Rebekah).  I didn't even click the link to check out the website (not an affiliate link - if that makes you feel any better).

But then, when their ad popped up, a week later, while I was scrolling through Facebook, just as yet another snow squall was blowing in...

… well, I'm only human.  Besides which, this one is educational. At least that's how I presented it to the Man of the House.  I mean look (a couple of pictures up) it comes with a map!

He wasn't fooled (though the company does try to add a fair amount of educational fun and games in with chips and candies).  He knows a box of snacks when he sees one.

Luckily, our box arrived while he was home for lunch, and he likes snacks as much as the next guy, and is just about as done with winter as the rest of us, so he didn't grumble about the subtraction from our budget.  Either that, or we've just been married long enough now that he knows a box or two is going to be arriving this time of year, and hey, at least this one had something he could eat.

The boxes come in different sizes, ranging in price from $15 to $39 a month.  I opted for the big box, because we have teenagers, and there was plenty.

I'd guess our $40 (shipping is free in the States) bought us about $20 worth of snacks and about an hour, whiled away, sampling each item after reading its well-written, travel brochure-like description from the accompanying material.  So, a better deal than an afternoon at the movies, and we got the thrill of opening a package.

It's great to be a homeschooler.