The Homegrown Collective Review-February 2013- Monthly Eco-Friendly Green Subscription Boxes- Plus Giveaway and Promo Code!!

Hello Fashion Bugs, I have got a very exciting review for you today! First let me just say that this box is Hands down, the coolest, most unique and exciting box I have ever received!! This is The Homegrown Collective Box.

With The Homegrown Collective, you will receive a box of Homegrown surprises delivered to your door each month. This will include seasonally appropriate, professionally curated products that deliver the satisfaction of living a more self-sufficient & sustainable lifestyle.

The Homegrown Collective's Mission

The Homegrown Collective is dedicated to providing it's members with products that foster self-sufficiency and provide environmental stewardship and sustainability. Utilizing a "group buying" strategy, they pass along those savings to you and they also hope to make the act of living a little but greener, a lot more accessible and a lot more fun!

What You Get

Each Green Box  is professionally and seasonally curated to help you get the most out of  growing at home and helps you to "greenify" your every day in the most satisfying ways. Whether it's just you, you and a roommate, you and a partner, or you and the whole family, every box is an opportunity for all to get involved.  It's the Box that brings the convenience of growing greener and a little more self-sufficient straight to your door every month!

How does it work

First, choose the plan that works the best for you . There are 4 different options, which include:



As you can see, the longer the commitment, the more substantial the savings and with their no questions asked, money back guarantee....You have nothing at all to lose! You also have to option to cancel anytime, so you are in control the whole step of the way! Every month that you are a member, you will receive an amazing green box  delivered straight to your door step!

So, Why should you Join

The Homegrown Collective is an invitation to be part of the growing overall collective of people who are looking to shift their lifestyle to a more local, self-sustaining, and eco-conscious way of living. It is a new way to help you connect with the seasons and their goal is to provide you with tools to get the most out of the Home that you have and help put you on the path to growing the Home that you want!

My Personal review- what I received,  my personal experience and opinion.  

The Box: The Homegrown Collective

The Products: Seasonally appropriate, professionally curated products that deliver the satisfaction of a living a more self-sufficient & Sustainable lifestyle delivered to your door each month!

The Cost: $39 monthly plus $9/month shipping.

First of all, you guys know how I feel about packaging. If a company goes the extra mile with their packaging to make sure the presentation is magnificent and special, as The Homegrown Collective has done, then you can count on excellent customer service, not to mention it makes the whole experience more special! I was super impressed with the packaging and how organized everything was.

As you can see here, there is a clear plastic sleeve attached to inside top of the box. This is where they put the cards that tell about the products included, the directions on how to make and/or create the projects for that month, as well as all the information about the companies of the featured products and the benefits of all the item included. I love this and the cards are very nice, big and very easy to read and understand! They are also organized in order for the way you will need to read them and they make the cards in a way where it is impossible to get them mixed up or out of order. I really love the thought that went into this and the extra work put fourth to make this organized and easy to follow.

This is where the fun really begins! It's time to go on a treasure hunt for all the goodies included! Also, they package the boxes to assure that all items reach you intact and without damage!

 Harry's Wildflower Honey 100% Raw and Natural- 16 oz- Value- $10.99

This was the first product I came across on my treasure hunt through my package, I was so excited to see this and even more so after reading more about this product, including all the benefits and amazing products you can make out of this.

This honey is not heated, processed, filtered, or pasteurized! Some of the benefits of honey include:

• Perfect for treating sore throat and coughs
• treat cuts, burns, and scrapes
• amazing facial cleanser
• perfect for treating allergies
• It supports good bacteria and is a natural and effective treatment for indigestion. 
• (My Personal Favorite) Makes an incredible exfoliating sugar scrub

**The card included gives the directions to make all the things listed above! The featured product I will be making with the honey is Herbal Infused Honey, which is used for all the things above for the exception of the sugar scrub. I will need to mix just a couple more simple ingredients for that.

Harry's Local Bees Wax- 100% Pure & Natural- (2) bars- 4 oz- Value- $7.99

Wooden Honey Dipper- Value- $2.95

These were the next items I found in my package. I have always wanted a honey dipper, not sure why I never got one but...I do now! Also, I was very intrigued and excited to see what all I would be able to make out of the bee's wax!

When I saw what the featured item was that I would be making out of the bee's wax....I was beyond excited!! My own lip balm/all purpose salve!! YES! I have always wanted to make this but of course, had no idea where to even start!

Some of the other uses for beeswax:

• Drip a little melted beeswax on rusted nuts and bolts to get them off easily. 
• Drawers or windows getting stuck? rub the stub of a beeswax candle or block along the edges of the door and tracks! 
• Condition and water proof boots, saddles, bags, or other leather products by rubbing the beeswax into the leather with a dry, clean cloth, working it in well along the seams. Let dry and then to shine! (this is a must have for all us fashionista's! We spend a lot of money on our leather boots and handbags, this is the perfect way to care for them and assure many years of use) 

100% Pure Natural Shea Butter- 1 oz - Value- Approx. $10

Tin for the lip balm/all purpose salve after it is made- 1 oz- value- approx. $ 1

These were the next two items I found. One tin contains 1 oz of pure, natural Shea butter and the other is empty, which is for the lip balm that I will be making. There is more than enough products provided to make enough of the lip balm/salve to fill both tins! So, I will have one for my handbag and one to keep at home, maybe on my nightstand by my bed. I absolutely love this!! I also love the fact that they went ahead and labeled the empty tin that the balm/salve will go in!! 

*** They just launched their store, yesterday I believe, and are still in the process of adding all the products that are available for purchase. Unfortunately the tin nor the Shea Butter has been listed yet, so I had to do a little research to come up with some approximate values on these items. With the Shea butter, I found it as much as $20 for 1 oz and as little as $5 however, that one did not look to be anywhere close to the same quality as the one included from Homegrown Collective, so I halved the difference

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Harry's Local Bee Pollen - 3.4 oz Value- $12.99

Mason Jar- Value- Approx. $1

These were the next two products I found. I was excited about the Bee Pollen. I had recently read an article about the amazing Benefits of Bee Pollen. Bee Pollen contains more protein than any other natural food! It also contains a wide variety of other nutrients. Bee pollen is approx. 40% protein. It is considered one of natures most completely nourishing foods. It contains nearly all nutrients required by humans. Bee Pollen is used to strengthen the circulatory system. It is also used to combat illness and allergies. When eaten after meals, it is believed to aid digestion. It is also believed to reduce stress and increase stamina and alertness. Olympic Athletes use pollen as a low-calorie protein source and also as a quick, yet sustained source of energy. 

*** There is a yummy recipe included for a instant breakfast shake. There are many different ways you can eat this super food! I am excited to try them all out! 

** The Mason Jar is for my Herbal infused Honey!!

Essential Citrus Oil- Value- Approx. $ 7

Sweet Almond Oil- Value- Approx. $3

Both of these items will be used to make my lip balm/salve....I am sooo excited, I can't wait to make this and when I do I will update you guys and post photos! 

** Again, neither one of these items were listed in their store yet, so I had to do some research online for Approx. values. I was surprised at how expensive the Essential Citrus Oil is. I went with the low end and it wasn't even in an awesome bottle like these are! 

Organic Elderberry - Value- Approx. $ 7

Misc. droppers and stirrers needed to make the different projects- Value- Approx. $1

The elderberry is the herbs used to make the Herbal infused Honey. and the other misc. items are to be used to help complete the projects. 

   These are all the cards that are included. Which as you can see, they are organized by products and/or projects. Each card has very easy to follow, step-by-step instructions for making the featured projects as well as extra things that can be made with the items included (They include more product than you actually need to make the featured project so you will have enough to do the extra's also) these cards also have the benefits and uses for all the items as well as extra info. I really love how they did these cards and they are so easy to keep organized and to follow. The featured projects are so easy to make, thanks to them included all the products to make it easy and the easy to follow instructions.

Verdict: The cost of this box is $39 dollars and I received $64.92 worth of products, not to mention the awesome cards with all the instructions, benefits of each items, and all kind of other incredible information. So, of course the monetary value is awesome but more than that is the knowledge that you gain, the small steps to making your life a more self-sufficient one. Helping the planet, the economy because all the products are purchased from local growers and small businesses here in the US. Everyone needs to learn to be more eco-conscious and responsible. I have been wanting to make these steps to becoming more "green" and self sufficient but had no idea how or where to start, It can be very confusing, overwhelming, and intimidating. That's where The Homegrown Collective comes in.  They do all the leg work for you, the researching, the hard part! They bring you the amazing items, projects, instructions, and knowledge that you need to make this not only an easy transition but a fun one! I am in love with The Homegrown Collective! This is an amazing concept and they nailed the execution of it. This is absolutely perfect for any and everyone! There is nothing else out there like it and this is truly an amazing experience and just plain fun! There are several boxes out there for little kids, that includes activities for them to do but there is nothing for bigger kids, preteens and teenagers. Aside from this being perfect for adults, it is also perfect for them. The Homegrown Collective simplify's everything so much that they could easily follow the instructions and do this themselves. Besides the fun factor of it, it is actually teaching them how to be self -sufficient, responsible, eco-friendly, etc... Completely fun for the whole family. My son as never got into or been interested in any of the things I get to review or that I am into, granted that is a good thing since a lot of it is beauty products but when I got this package, opened it and started taking the stuff out of it, he immediately came over to me wanting to know what all this cool stuff was,  so I went over all of it with him. He was so excited about the different things we could make and the fact that we could do it together. Now, that is truly priceless! He went online and looked at some of the items in their store like the Cheese Making Kit  and the Mushroom Growing Kit, which are both incredibly priced, and he wants them both so WE can do it together....The key word being "we". I mean that is worth the price alone right there, having something fun that your teen actually wants to do with you...and a teen boy at that!! I honestly can't think of one thing negative to say about The Home Grown Collective. I love it, I love everything about it! I have reviewed countless subscription boxes and I review about 15 or so every month but none of them compare to this subscription box. It is definitely the most unique and coolest box I have ever received!! I can't wait to complete the featured project in this box nor can I wait to see what's next!! All of their boxes have been awesome, you can click Here to look at all of their past boxes. I highly recommend this box! You will not regret it!! 

Now, The Homegrown Collective has offered my readers a discount of 5% off on your subscription, regardless if you decide to get it month to month or it you opt for the 3 month or longer commitment. Those are already reduced so you would save even more with this offer. That would definitely be the way to go. All you need to do is click Here  and enter the promo code "HOMEGROWNFB5" at checkout! You can also score 10% off of any purchase in their newly launched store, I definitely recommend checking out the cheese making kit and the Mushroom growing kit. Just click on either of those links or Here to check out everything available, then enter the promo code " HOMEGROWNFB10" at check out! 

The guys over at Homegrown Collective has generously offered one om awesome readers the chance to win a $20 gift certificate to their newly launched store, which will get you either of the kits I mentioned! I think they are both so cool and will be getting them myself so my son and I can have fun doing them together! All you have to do to win is follow the easy directions on the rafflecopter below! 

****BONUS**** ANY OF MY FASHION BUGS THAT SUBSCRIBE TO THIS BOX WILL ALSO RECEIVE A BEAUTY GRAB BAG FROM ME, WORTH A MINIMUM OF $50 WITH ONE LUCK FASHION BUG GETTING THE GOLD TICKET BAG WHICH WILL INCLUDE $200 WORTH OF BEAUTY PRODUCTS!! DO NOT MISS OUT ON THIS FABULOUS DEAL!!

***Please excuse the quality of these photos, as most of you know, I broke my camera a couple day ago taking pictures to go on my blog....So, I am having to use my phone until I can replace my camera and the quality of the pictures are horrible! I am very sorry! 

GIVEAWAY

• This is open to US residents only, Sorry international followers. I will have more giveaways for you guys coming up! 
• You must be 18 or older to enter and you must complete all mandatory entries or you will be disqualified, This will be checked! 
• Once the winner is announced, you will have 36 hrs to claim your prize or a new winner will be picked. Thank You all for entering and Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway