If You're Interested in Stitch Fix...

I am extremely surprised by how popular my Stitch Fix blog posts are.

Apart from Blogger's stats indicating that those posts draw far more views than most, I have several times been approached by friends and acquaintances in real life. They tell me excitedly that they're going to sign up for Stitch Fix, or they tell me wistfully that want to try Stitch Fix but can't afford it, and so they get their Fixes vicariously through me.

If you're one of my readers who think Stitch Fix is neat, then you might like some other things I'm trying out:

1. theSkimm
Apparently, I am reliant on Shutterbug's impeccable taste. Shutterbug recommended Stitch Fix to me, and this week she introduced me to theSkimm through a Facebook post.

theSkimm is a free service that sends you an email every weekday. The email contains a synopsis of the current events headlining the news that morning. For someone like me, who dislikes reading about the strife in the world but who feels wholly uninformed if she doesn't, it's a great way to get a handle on the news without having to dig through or wallow in it. You also probably remember that I prefer neutral journalism when possible. So far, it seems to me that theSkimm's political slant isn't terribly overt. They don't make many definitive statements; instead, they seem to be fond of asking questions like, "Do potatoes cause cancer?" Then, instead of actually answering the question, they drop a piece of evidence that could be taken with either regard or disregard. Such as: "One thing's for sure—scientists are pushing for potatoes to undergo more thorough radiation testing!"

In some circumstances, not giving a straight answer is cowardly. In this case, though, it is kind of refreshing. I realize theSkimm is trying to keep a broad appeal for subscription purposes, but just the same I appreciate not being blatantly told how to think...for once.

Also, each email takes me only about five minutes to read. However, there are some sponsored ad blurbs towards the end of the email, which are annoying.

If you're interested in giving theSkimm a try, the link I provided earlier is my referral link. Yes, I get something from referring theSkimm. What? I honestly don't know. That might be the only thing I find objectionable so far: theSkimm provided me with a referral link but is very unclear about what I get when others sign up. In other words I'm promoting theSkimm not only because I like the service but because I'm also curious about what will happen if I do get referrals.

2. Favorite Eats
This is a service where you pay a small subscription fee each month in return for restaurant gift cards. Essentially, after you subtract the subscription fee from the gift card amount, you're actually getting several dollars' worth of free food. You then use the restaurant gift card and leave a restaurant review on social media.

When I first saw the service description, I thought it was a probably a scam. Then I realized what's probably actually happening: a bunch of restaurants hired Favorite Eats to promote them. Favorite Eats is taking a chunk of that money to essentially hire everyday food enthusiasts to do that promoting for them. Those enthusiasts will be able to reach people who know and trust them and will be able to hit audiences normal campaigns wouldn't.

Pretty smart! I for one would like to be a part of what seems to be a fun experiment. Here's the big catch—the referral link up above is actually for a waitlist. The actual service hasn't launched yet, and apparently it will only accept a certain number of applicants. I'm sharing the waitlist because when people sign up from my referral link, it bumps me higher in the waitlist and makes it more likely I'll actually get a spot to try the service. Remember, since it's just a waitlist, you don't have to be 100% sure you actually want to try the service before signing up. You may not get high enough on the waitlist to get a chance to try it anyway.