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• Suede is animal hide that's been sanded on the inner layer for a velvety, textured feel and appearance.
• However, it's less durable than leather, more prone to staining, and harder to care for.
• We've put together a few tips and tricks to teach you how to clean suede and take care of it.
• You'll need a water repellant spray and a suede brush to keep your suede items in tip-top shape.

Elvis had good reason to croon, "But don't you step on my blue suede shoes. Well, you can do anything, but stay off of my blue suede shoes."

While suede certainly has a velvety, rich appearance, it's equally undeniable that it stains, scuffs, and flattens easily. That's why it's so important to know how to take care of suede.

A periodic brush and cleaning will keep your suede shoes, jacket, hat, pants, and furniture looking as fine as the day you bought it.

But even more importantly, you need to treat any wear-and-tear on suede promptly to avoid permanent stains or damage to the material.

While it's not really difficult to clean and care for suede, it does take more attention than many other types of leather, which is why we decided to lay out the proper way to care for your suede shoes, clothing, or household décor.

Basic suede care

The best way to keep your suede shoes, hats, home furnishings, and gloves looking good is with regular preventative care. While as a general rule, you should leave suede garments at home on days when rain is in the forecast, inevitably at some point you'll be caught in an unexpected shower, step in a puddle, or walk across wet grass.

That's why suede clothing, footwear, and accessories should all be treated with a water-repelling spray like Apple Brand Garde Rain & Stain Repellant.

To be safe, first test the spray in an inconspicuous area. If all is well, go ahead and apply the spray all over your suede shoes or other suede items, and let it dry completely. While you still should avoid water while wearing suede, the protectant will greatly diminish the chances of staining should the suede get wet. Reapply it once each season for the best protection.

Regular brushing of your suede is another must, whether it's a wearable item or home décor. A good suede brush like the Redecker Suede Brush, which has both brass wire and natural pig bristle for a thorough but gentle cleaning, whisks away dust and dirt while restoring the suede's nap.

You really should brush your suede after every wear, or use the brush on your suede furniture weekly, but if that seems like too much trouble, then aim for once a month or so.

Brush the suede thoroughly all over the surface, working in back-and-forth motions only. Don't make circles or push the nap into different directions. Regular brushing is the best way to keep suede looking good and remove dust or light stains.

Removing stains from suede

It happens: Your suede shoes have mud or dirt on the toes or along the sides or rain has stained your suede hat. No need to worry: Just use your suede brush.

Often, a thorough brushing is all that's needed to remove the grime, but if things are looking extra dirty, you'll need to go a bit further.

1. If the stain is dry, grab a pencil eraser. Work the eraser over the stain, making small circular motions and applying light pressure. Brush the suede to restore the nap once the stain is gone.
2. Stain still there? Head to the pantry for some white vinegar. Pour a little bit onto a clean, dry cloth, and rub the vinegar into the stained suede. You want to dampen the suede, not soak it. Let the suede air dry, and then brush the spot to remove any lingering marks.
3. If oil gets onto your suede, sprinkle the spot with enough cornstarch to cover it completely, and let it sit for several hours. Then use your suede brush to remove the cornstarch, and hopefully, the oily stain along with it. If there is still a visible mark, use white vinegar as outlined above.
4. Wet stains, including water, should be blotted with a towel as much as possible before allowing the suede to air dry. Never set your suede near a heater or use a blow dryer to speed up the drying process, as that can fade or damage the material. If the suede dries with a watermark, you'll want to treat it with white vinegar, let the suede dry once more, and then brush it thoroughly.

Buy Apple Brand Garde Rain & Stain Repellent on Amazon for $13.99

Buy the Redecker Suede Brush on Amazon for $14.99

Check out our guide to the best shoe polish you can buy.

Check out our guide to the best leather protectors you can buy.

Join the conversation about this story »

• Taylor Swift is a real estate mogul.
• Swift's homes are in four different states from California to New York, and they're worth a total of $84 million, according to property values estimated by Trulia.
• She most recently purchased a condo in Tribeca— her third property on the same block in the Manhattan neighborhood.

Taylor Swift's homes are arguably as impressive as her singing career.

The 28-year-old has a reported net worth of $280 million and huge chunk of that is parked in real estate. Swift owns more than $84 million worth of real estate across the US — eight properties in four different states, to be exact — according to estimates provided to Business Insider by Trulia. 

Nashville

Let's begin in Nashville, Tennessee, where Swift launched her country music career. It's only fitting for her to have at least one property there, but she has two. 

There's the 3,240-square-foot condo in Nashville's Music Row, which she bought at age 20. Swift said in an interview with Vulture, who described the condo's aesthetic as "whimsically girlie," that she did the interior design herself.

Worth an estimated $3 million, the condo boasts industrial-style features and skyline views of midtown Nashville thanks to its floor-to-ceiling windows.

In June 2011, she purchased a 1934 Greek Revival estate in Nashville that features a 5,600-square-foot main house with four bedrooms and four-and-a-half bathrooms. Out back there's a pool and a 2,000-square-foot guesthouse. Trulia estimates it to be worth nearly $2.5 million — and that's the cheapest property she owns.

Los Angeles

Ever the superstar, Swift also spends time in Los Angeles. She sold her Beverly Hills Cape Cod-style cottage of 2,826 square feet for $4 million earlier this year, but she still owns two more residences in the area — at least, for now.

Her 2,950-square-foot Beverly Hills home is currently on the market; Trulia estimates its value at $2.85 million. 

Surrounded by lush greenery, mountains, a pool, and a sprawling patio area, the mod-style single-story home is light and airy with floor-to-ceiling glass, skylights, a private courtyard, and a 1,000-bottle climate-controlled wine cellar. 

And then there's the iconic 1934 Beverly Hills mansion she purchased in September 2015. It was previously home to Hollywood film producer, Samuel Goldwyn.

Swift plans to turn the 10,982-square-foot Georgian Revival estate into a historic landmark and restore it to its former status now that the Beverly Hills Cultural Heritage Commission has voted in favor of her request.

Worth nearly $30 million, it's the most expensive piece of property in her real estate portfolio, according to Trulia's estimates.

Rhode Island

But Nashville and Beverly Hills aren't the only places she calls home. Across the coast, Swift owns an estate with seaside views in Watch Hill, Rhode Island, valued at $6.65 million.

The seven-bedroom, nine-bathroom mansion of 12,000 square feet overlooks 700 feet of shoreline with views of Block Island Sound and Montauk Point.

The grapevine whispers that Swift bought the home in April 2013 after breaking up with Conor Kennedy — the famous Kennedy Family Compound is not far. A dream vacation home, it's the perfect place for parties with her squad. Remember Swift's famous Fourth of July party in 2016?

But that's only one of four properties Swift has in the Northeast. The rest are all in New York City, specifically in Tribeca. As if that's not close quarters, they're all on the same block.

New York City

In 2014, Swift put her savvy real estate skills to work, purchasing two adjacent penthouses in a Tribeca building and renovating them into one large duplex penthouse of 8,309 square feet with 10 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms.

It features an expansive kitchen where Swift has baked with her squad, a billiards table, and a sweeping staircase, all at an estimated value of $20.5 million.

In 2017, she became her own neighbor when she purchased a 100-year-old, four-story townhouse next door. At 27 square-feet wide and 5,148 total square feet, it's filled with a ton of natural light on the first floor (a rarity and a luxury in Manhattan). It also has a home theater, gym, steam bath, and bar, as well as a guest suite, and is estimated to be worth $12.5 million.

Most recently in February 2018, she purchased another condo on the second floor of the same building as her penthouse from financier Jeremey Phillips for $9.75 million in an off-market deal, reported the New York Post. Trulia estimates its value at $6.9 million.

It's no wonder Swifties are dubbing Swift's Tribeca block "Taybeca," considering she owns roughly $40 million worth of property there.

Where will she move in next?

SEE ALSO: See inside the 15 most expensive penthouses for sale in America

DON'T MISS: Inside Taylor Swift's $17 million seaside mansion where she hosts A-list parties

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Shaq is joining the board of Papa John's — here's his simple piece of advice for NBA players who don't want to lose their millions

• For music lovers, sound quality is one of the most important things a streaming service can offer.
• Qobuz, a music app that's new to the US, claims to stream music with sound quality nearly thirty times better than Spotify's.
• We compared Qobuz's sound with Spotify's and Tidal's, and found that while the difference was noticeable from track to track, it might not be worth the extra cost.

Are you happy with the sound quality of your music streaming app? You might not think much about it. But audiophiles are always on the hunt for better sound quality, and a new streaming service has debuted, offering to deliver it. Qobuz, new to the US, supports much higher audio quality – according to the company, as much as 29 times better than Spotify.

High resolution audio is nothing new. In the last decade, formats like DVD-Audio and SACD have promised sound quality far surpassing anything on CD, but they largely failed because they were inconvenient compared to CD playing. A few years ago, musician Neil Young tried again with Pono, a combination music player and music service, but not enough people wanted to lock themselves into a special music player, regardless of the superior sound quality it offered.

Qobuz is different, though – it delivers (depending upon the track), high quality MP3s, CD-quality music, and 24-bit lossless tracks just as conveniently as Spotify and Tidal deliver their respective sounds.

So we put all three streaming services to the test to see if there was any noticeable advantage to using Qobuz.

Spotify

You already know Spotify, which has been around since 2008. You can use the free, ad-supported version to listen to the roughly 30 million tracks, even if you don't pony up $10 per month for Spotify Premium. Spotify Free lets you listen at 160 kbps, but Premium adds the option to play music at 320 kbps, which is the highest quality level that MP3s can be encoded at.

Tidal

Tidal is a newer streaming service, launched in 2014 by the Norwegian company Aspiro and "re-launched" by Jay-Z in 2015. There's no free-play version of Tidal, but in addition to the standard $10/month subscription, there's also a $20 per month premium service that includes access to some FLAC-format lossless tracks. 

Qobuz

The new kid on the block, Qobuz has some catching up to do. The service costs a premium, literally: access to everything including the high-res content (FLAC 24-Bit up to 192 KHz) starts at $24.99 per month (CD-quality only is $20 per month, and MP3-only is $10 per month). And while the company claims to have about 40 million CD-quality tracks and a couple of million hi-res songs, the library sometimes feels barren when searching for popular artists.

While preparing to compare the audio quality of the three services, we had to veto a few songs because they weren't yet available on Qobuz. If you're a fan of indie music, be especially wary. Searches for alt rock bands like Throwing Muses and Downpilot turn up few-to-no tracks.

Qobuz definitely sounds better than Spotify on most songs

It's one thing for Qobuz to say it's 29 times better than Spotify – but can you really hear the difference?

To find out, we tested 10 songs that spanned a range of musical styles. Two test subjects (myself, and fellow tech journalist John Lyon) got to hear each song once – the highest-quality versions of Spotify, Tidal, and Qobuz – through a pair of high-quality headphones without knowing which version was which.

The result? Qobuz noticeably outperformed the others as we picked Qobuz as our favorite in "blind" testing a surprising 75% of the time.

I'll be honest: I didn't expect Qobuz to fare that well. Not because I didn't trust that its audio was high quality, but because I didn't think it would matter very much. I suspected that Spotify and Tidal sound "good enough," and it would be hard to really hear the difference. And while there's some truth to that, Qobuz really did pop.

Listening to Leonard Bernstein's performance of "The Death of Ase," John heard the Qobuz version immediately after Tidal and exclaimed, "Wow, that was a much more interesting song than it seemed the first time!" About Led Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks," I observed that the song opened up with a much wider soundstage than either Tidal or Spotify, making the reverberating drums all the more impressive. BRMC's "Beat the Devil's Tattoo" features percussive finger-snaps in the background; John marveled that unlike the others, Qobuz's version was "super-clean. The snaps actually sounded fleshy."

But we're not sure Qobuz is worth the money

Qobuz didn't win first place for every song, however, and Spotify and Tidal jockeyed for first and second place from song to song. (A few times, like in the Beach Boy's remastered mono version of "God Only Knows," Spotify actually took the top spot over Qobuz, which John described as "blasting me unpleasantly in the forehead.")

What's the lesson? Yes, Qobuz does generally deliver better sound, and if that's your priority, this is the service for you.

But it's a closer race than Qobuz's "29 times better than Spotify" claim might suggest. Really hearing – and appreciating – the difference between Qobuz and the competition requires active listening, and that's not how we usually consume music. When I let Qobuz fade into the background, it  became easy to miss the nuances that make it special. I suspect that might be why Qobuz fell out of first place a few times; the differences in quality were sometimes subtle, and it was easy to lose track of why one track excelled over another.

If you aren't the sort of listener who pays complete attention to your music, then the decision to subscribe might come down to other factors, like cost, the variety of the music catalog, or whether it contains your favorite artists.

SEE ALSO: 14 apps everyone should have on their phone

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: We tried Louis Vuitton's wireless earbuds to find out if they're worth the $995

• For many in the worlds of business and finance, the watch is the ultimate status symbol.
• But what do the world's most powerful financiers, central bankers, and CEOs wear on their wrists?
• Business Insider teamed up with the experts Crown & Caliber to identify the timepieces of some of the key decision makers in these industries.
• From a $100 Swatch worn by one of Europe's central bank chiefs, to the Wall Street titan sporting a $20,000 Rolex, these are the watches worn by the most powerful people in business and finance.

For many in the worlds of business and finance, the watch is the ultimate status symbol. Junior bankers use their first bonus to buy a brand new Omega, executives compare notes on their newest Rolexes, and Silicon Valley tech bros trade workout data with one another using their Apple Watches.

"A watch can say something without using words. It conveys style, achievement and can be the ultimate icebreaker," Hamilton Powell, the CEO of Crown & Caliber, an online secondary market for luxury watches.

But what do the world's most powerful financiers, central bankers, and CEOs wear on their wrists?

Business Insider teamed up with the experts at Crown & Caliberto identify the timepieces of some of the key decision makers in these industries.

From a $100 Swatch worn by one of Europe's central bank chiefs, to the Wall Street titan sporting a $20,000 Rolex, these are the watches worn by the most powerful people in business and finance.

Jes Staley, CEO of Barclays

Staley, in position since 2015, is a rare breed in banking, an American boss at a British bank. He has been credited with pushing the bank to be more focused on its investment banking division.

Panerai Luminor Marina PAM 111 — $4,600

Crown & Caliber's watch experts identified Staley's watch as being made by Panerai, an Italian watchmaker known for manufacturing watches used by Italian military divers during the Second World War.

A similar model to the Barclays CEO's watch is available for around $4,600.

Jeff Bezos, Chairman and CEO of Amazon

Bezos, the world's richest man, founded Amazon in 1994, and has overseen its growth into a behemoth in retail, cloud computing, content, and more.

• If you wear your Apple AirPods on a regular basis, chances are they're long overdue for a cleaning.
• You can clean your AirPods using rubbing alcohol and some household items as long as you're careful.

You probably wouldn't wear the same outfit day after day without tossing it in the laundry, just like you wouldn't eat off of the same fork without washing it. But most people probably can't say the same for their earbuds.

When Business Insider swabbed 22 pairs of earbuds last year to see what types of germs might be residing on them, Columbia's microbiology lab found that two samples had grown yeast and one sample had grown a type of bacteria associated with dirt. While that test did not include Apple's AirPods, it's still in your best interest to keep yours clean.

See below for tips and tricks on how to clean your AirPods. Be careful to avoid getting liquid in any of the AirPods' openings, especially the charging ports, since they're not water resistant. 

SEE ALSO: The 50 most beautiful Apple stores outside the United States

First let's start with the individual AirPods. We'll get to the case later.

Apple suggests using a dry, soft, lint-free cloth to clean your AirPods. To clean the microphone and speaker meshes, which is probably where most of the wax accumulates, the company advises using a dry cotton swab. Apple also says you can remove debris from the meshes with a clean and dry soft-bristled brush and warns not to use sharp or abrasive objects.

In my own experience, I found that wiping down the earbuds with a microfiber cloth like the ones typically used to clean eyeglass lenses worked well.

To dig out debris and earwax from the mesh speakers, I used a the pointed end of a dental floss stick. If you use a pointed item like this, be careful not to accidentally push the dirt into the speaker when trying to scrape the gunk out.

• English rower Lee Spencer crossed the Atlantic from Europe to South America in 60 days, shattering the previous record.
• Spencer, who has a prosthetic right leg, said he did the crossing to show that "no one should be defined by disability."
• He barely slept during the journey and lost 42 pounds along the way. 

On March 11, English rower Lee Spencer arrived on the shores of French Guiana, alone in a rowboat.

He had rowed across the Atlantic from Europe to South America — a distance of 3,800 miles. Spencer set off from Portugal, beating the previous trans-Atlantic crossing rowing record for that route by a full 36 days.

"I was out there for 60 days, 16 hours, 6 minutes," Spencer told Business Insider by phone from South America, where he was recovering from the journey. "That's the new record." 

When he reached the shore in Cayenne, he immediately declared: "I can absolutely, categorically say never again."

Spencer, a former Royal Marine who had always been proud of his physical strength, lost his right leg five years ago when he stopped to help at the scene of an accident and was hit by an oncoming engine. 

"We tend to define disabled people by their disability," he said. "That's such a bad thing to do. So I thought if I can beat an able-bodied record as a disabled man, at something as physically demanding as rowing an ocean, it'll be a real positive statement that no one should be defined by disability."

Spencer's two months in the boat were grueling. The second night after finishing his rowing journey, Spencer said he bolted up from bed in his hotel room to instinctively find his "position" at sea, only to realize that he was safe on dry land.

"So part of me is obviously still out in the ocean, rowing!" he joked.

Here's how Spencer accomplished the feat.

SEE ALSO: In a world first, a woman just swam around Easter Island, logging more than 39 miles in 19 hours without any help from fins or boats

Spencer served three tours in Afghanistan and one in Iraq. But he did not lose his leg in a war zone.

Spencer said he stopped "at the scene of an accident on a motorway" in the UK when the crippling accident happened.

"I was helping the people who were in the accident on the side of the road when another car crashed into theirs, and I was hit by an engine," he said. 

The injury was devastating for Spencer, both physically and mentally.

"I was someone who defined themselves by physicality," Spencer said. "[I] woke up in the morning a disabled man. And I thought the person that I was had gone ... and I'd have to redefine who I was."

Rowing became an important activity for Spencer. In 2015, he rowed 3,000 miles across the Atlantic with the help of three other veterans, all of whom have lost at least one leg. The group was at sea for 46 days. 

For his solo Atlantic crossing, Spencer rented an English fiberglass rowboat designed for a single passenger.

The 7-meter-long boat has an auto-helm system that steered for him, so Spencer just had to focus on the rowing.

Insider Picks writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

• If you awaken one morning to find a cloud of tiny flying insects swarming around your fruit bowl, chances are, you’ve got an infestation of fruit flies.
• These small flying pests are a species of housefly that is strongly attracted to ripening or decaying fruit.
• Luckily, it’s generally not difficult to get rid of fruit flies, and there’s no need for potentially toxic chemicals to do so.
• Here’s how to deal with these pests, as well as two similar flying insects: fungus gnats and drain flies.

At one point or another, pretty much everyone will need to deal with fruit flies. My own turn came when I left a peach ripening a little too long in the fruit bowl, only to walk into the kitchen and discover a cloud of little flying pests hovering over the bowl and crawling all over the fruit I’d been planning on enjoying with my lunch.

Since then, I’ve been careful to toss fruit that’s past its prime, although in my fruit-intensive household, most produce is consumed before that occurs.

You can literally leave a pest-free kitchen in the morning, and come home in the afternoon to find a cloud of fruit flies partying in your fruit bowl. These tiny insects are powerfully drawn to the scent of decaying fruit and are small enough to slip right through your window screen or any tiny cracks around the windows or doors. You might also unknowingly bring fruit flies home with your produce from the farmers market or supermarket.

Once they gain access to your kitchen, the flies feast on overripe fruit. Of course, dining is not all these pests have on their minds. They're also doing the nasty in your fruit bowl. Afterward, the female pierces the skin of the fruit to lay up to 500 eggs beneath it.

The eggs hatch in as little as 24 hours, and the fruit provides food for the larvae. A few days later, the larvae pupate for a few days before emerging in their adult form. Within two days, the adults are ready for some lovin' in your kitchen, and the cycle repeats. With an average lifespan of 40 to 50 days, that's a whole lot of fruit flies.  

Now that you know where fruit flies come from, we'll break down how to get rid of them and how to get rid of other kitchen pests that are often mistaken for fruit flies.

Read on to learn how to get rid of fruit flies and other pests quickly and easily.

How to get rid of fruit flies

There are quite a few ways to get rid of fruit flies, but the one that worked very well for me is probably the simplest. Just pour apple cider vinegar into a bowl, and then add a few drops of liquid dish soap. Set the bowl on your counter near the fruit fly infestation, and watch the magic happen.

Fruit flies are attracted to the scent of the apple cider vinegar, but when they head in for a tasty treat, they slip underneath the liquid’s surface and drown, thanks to the reduced surface tension created by the dish soap.

I admit it — it was strangely and morbidly fascinating watching the tiny pests flit around before landing on the apple cider vinegar and then disappearing into the murky depths. Within a couple of days, my fruit fly problem was no more.

If you prefer something a little more attractive than an open bowl of vinegar dotted with drowned fruit flies sitting on your kitchen counter, check out the RSVP Endurance Fruit Fly Trap. You get a small white ceramic bowl with a perforated stainless steel lid.

Just pour apple cider vinegar into the trap, add a couple of drops of dish detergent, cover the bowl with the lid, and voila! You’ve put a pretty face on your fruit-fly death trap, but it’s just as effective at wiping out pest infestations as less-attractive bowls.

Whichever method you choose, prevent a recurrence by tossing or composting overripe fruit — of course, it’s best of all if you eat the produce before it ever gets to the overripe stage —washing your fruit bowls weekly, and emptying the kitchen trash bin regularly.

Buy a 16oz bottle of Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Liquid Dish Soap from Target for $3.99

Buy a 16oz bottle of Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar on Amazon for $8.30

Buy the RSVP Endurance Fruit Fly Trap on Amazon for $11.95

How to tell if you have fruit flies and get rid of other pests

It’s easy to identify the common fruit fly: Most have red eyes and a tan-to-brown thorax. Males have a mostly black abdomen, while the abdomens of females have black stripes. Both males and females are very small, generally only one to three millimeters in length. As their name suggests, these insects like fruit, and generally won’t stray far from your kitchen, compost bin, or trashcans.

Two other common and tiny flying indoor pests that are sometimes confused with fruit flies are drain flies and fungus gnats. Fungus gnats, which have a thinner body shape than fruit flies, although they are around the same size, are generally brown or black with light brown legs.

These annoying pests like houseplants, particularly overwatered plants. You’ll see clouds of the adults rise up out of the pot whenever it’s disturbed, but it’s the larva that do the real damage to the plant’s roots.

Prevention is the best way to deal with fungus gnats, so let your plants dry out a bit between waterings, but if you do end up with an infestation, you’ll get fairly quick relief with Safer Brand’s nontoxic Houseplant Sticky Stakes.

Drain flies are “fuzzier” than fruit flies and fungus gnats, but equally tiny. You’ll generally spot these disgusting tan, gray, or black creatures flitting around your sink drain, as they breed in the sludge down inside the pipes.

It’s not nearly as easy to get rid of drain flies as it is to eliminate fruit flies and fungus gnats, but the task is often achieved by pouring boiling water down the drain to break down the sludge, as well as treating the sink drain with a nontoxic product that helps naturally remove drain buildup, such as Bye-Bye Drain Flies.

Buy a 12-pack of Safer Brand House Plant Sticky Stakes on Amazon for $59.31 (originally $60.60)

Buy the Bye-Bye Drain Flies Drain Treatment on Amazon for $19.95

• Millennials, who prefer to spend their money on experiences, might be getting something right when it comes to their spending habits.
• Spending money on experiences can create a longer-lasting, more substantial payoff, according to financial expert Jean Chatzky.
• Experiences not only create memories and anticipation, but they can involve other people and exercise — all of which can boost happiness, Chatzky said.

Millennials are all about the experience economy.

They pay more for things such as travel, entertainment, and dining compared to their parents and grandparents, according to findings by JPMorgan. And in Fidelity Investments' 2018 Millennial Money Study, more than a quarter of respondents said that after a rough week, the thing that would bring them the most joy is some form of entertainment, such as going to the movies, happy hour, or a concert. 

Turns out, they might be on to something.

"Spending money on experiences tends to have a longer-lasting and more substantial payoff," Jean Chatzky, financial editor of NBC's "Today" Show, wrote in her latest of 11 books, "Women with Money."

Here's why, according to Chatzky.

1. Experiences get better with time.

"When you experience something, you make memories," Chatzky wrote. "That allows you to go back and revisit, which brings the original burst of happiness you felt in the moment back to the fore. You may even embellish a bit and make it better than it was IRL."

Consider the influence of social media in bringing up these memories — seeing it on your timeline or reposting a #TBT rekindles those "warm fuzzies," Chatzky said.

A study conducted at Cornell University found that posting experiences on Facebook and other social media sites helps improve a person's memory, according to Digital Journal in a post syndicated on Business Insider.

Rich millennials, in particular, prioritize posting their experiences on social media, but they do so for more than just to relive the experience — they're also seeking validation.

Read more: Millennials are treating themselves to experiences — but it doesn't mean they're bad with money

2. Experiences often involve planning.

Planning your experience builds anticipation.

"When you start fleshing out the details of that upcoming trip to, say, Nashville, researching which place to go to for barbecue and which for hot chicken, figuring out who's playing in town the night you're there, you start to get excited," Chatzky wrote. "Putting the dates on the calendar gives you something to look forward to."

Just ask Justin Maiman, who's currently taking Yale's happiness class — the university's most popular class ever — "The Science of Well-Being." He learned during the course that experiences are worth investing in partly because the anticipation of the experience leads to more happiness and joy, he wrote.

3. Experiences tend to include other people.

"The social aspect of being with others is, for most, a happiness plus," Chatzky wrote.

She cited research by Michael Norton, Harvard Business School professor and co-author of the book "Happy Money: The Science of Happier Spending," who found that spending within reason to strengthen relationships is generally a good use of money.

Strong relationships are the key to happiness, Gretchen Rubin, happiness expert and author of "The Happiness Project," said in a video for Business Insider. She found evidence of a correlation between happiness, healthiness, and strong relationships — if something will strengthen a relationship, it will probably boost happiness in the long run, she said.

Watch: Happiness expert shares the one key both philosophers and scientists agree is necessary to be happy

4. Experiences sometimes involve physical activity.

According to Chatzky, spending money on exercise can boost happiness in several ways — like reducing stress. 

"In the short term, exercise makes you feel better because you blow off some steam," she wrote. "In the long term, it makes you physically stronger and more able to handle whatever stresses life is throwing your way."

Even if you're not experiencing stress, Chatzky said, getting healthier can make you happier.

A 30-year-old communications specialist told Chatzky that her $250-per-month CrossFit class gave her confidence and made her feel healthier, which in turn made her happier. She found other ways to cut $250 out of her monthly expenses to afford it.

She's part of the "wellness generation" of millennials known for splurging on pricey gym memberships or $30 SoulCycle spin classes. For many, the long-term benefits they reap make the upfront cost worth it.

SEE ALSO: 7 ways rich millennials spend and display their money differently than rich baby boomers

DON'T MISS: 5 things rich millennials do differently with their money than the rest of their generation

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NOW WATCH: Here's how North Korea's Kim Jong Un became one of the world's scariest dictators

• We asked a sommelier to taste-test a selection of budget wines from Costco, Target, Trader Joe's, BJ's, and Lidl.
• These wines were all priced below $10, with one bottle costing as little as $3.99.
• Here's how sommelier Sara Lehman ranked each brand overall. 

Costco and Trader Joe's might not spring to mind when you're thinking about where to shop for good wines, but plenty of shoppers swear by these stores when it comes to finding a good-quality budget bottle. 

Read more:We taste-tested 7 of Costco's Kirkland wines and were blown away by their price and quality. Here's how they ranked from worst to best.

We asked sommelier Sara Lehman to rank her favorite bottle of red, white, and rosé wines from a selection that we picked from Costco, Target, Trader Joe's, BJ's, and Lidl. We then asked her to pick her favorite brands overall.

We planned to compare a cabernet sauvignon, pinot grigio, and rosé from each brand, but in some cases these wines were not available. 

Here's how the brands stacked up: 

SEE ALSO: 9 comically large items you can buy at Costco

5. BJ's

We tested BJ's Wellsley Farms collection, which launched earlier this month. This five-bottle collection does not include a rosé, so we tested its cabernet sauvignon from California, which starts at $7.99, and its pinot grigio from Venezie, Italy, which starts at $6.99.

It ranked in last place of the five retailers. 

"I was looking for a little more character and complexity," Lehman said. 

She was initially impressed by the spicy flavor in the cabernet sauvignon but said this faded quickly.

"It's a nice wine, nothing too complex, a lot of fruit, and then it finishes flat," she said.

She recommended bringing this to a potluck where there is a lot of different food on offer and you don't need the wine to be paired with one particular dish.  

The pinot grigio was "decent," she said, and a good example of what you would expect a typical pinot grigio to be.

She described BJ's bottles as being the most typical flavor for a low-cost wine.

"It tastes very commercial," she said. 

4. Trader Joe's

Trader Joe's famous "two-buck Chuck" collection was the cheapest of all the wines we tasted, but it didn't quite cut the mustard when it came to taste. 

We tried the cabernet sauvignon, pinot grigio, and rosé from its Charles Shaw organic collection; these wines all cost $3.99 each.

Lehman was least complimentary about the white wine, saying that it tasted a lot like apple juice.

"Stick a straw in it and I think it would be really good," she said. 

The rosé and reds were better, she said, but they still didn't have much taste. 

"I wouldn't put too many flavors with [the rosé] because you would lose the taste completely," she said in reference to food-pairing options. 

3. Costco

Costco's low-cost Kirkland collection was the biggest surprise of all. 

We tested its Kirkland cabernet sauvignon and its Kirkland pinot grigio. These giant, 1.5-liter bottles cost under $8. 

"I am not going to lie, I had a little bit of a stigma coming in," Lehman said, pointing out the magnum-sized — but low-cost — bottles. "But I was really pleasantly surprised."

The Kirkland brand is known for being a popular choice of Costco members and it's become one of the store's biggest assets. According to a recent report from UBS, the Kirkland Signature label could be worth as much as $75 billion.

Read more:Costco's Kirkland brand has become a secret weapon worth as much as $75 billion

Insider Picks writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

• Decorating Easter eggs is always easier and more enjoyable when you have the right supplies.
• These Easter egg decorating kits have everything you need to let your creativity shine.
• Paas Classic Easter Egg Decorating Kit is the best one overall with its fun stickers, bright colors, and affordable price tag.

Decorating Easter eggs is a fun tradition that many children look forward to each year. After all, what good is an Easter egg hunt with plain white eggs? While decorating eggs can be a great craft project for the whole family, it’s important to choose a kit that offers quality supplies.

Unfortunately, many Easter egg decorating kits underperform and can result in a disappointing experience and wasted eggs. Some contain dyes that aren’t terribly effective or that can permeate the eggs’ shells so that you can’t eat the eggs after. But when you get a quality decorating kit, you can transform eggs into mini works of art, and keep your children entertained for a while, too.

The kits we’ve chosen to include below are known for producing quality results and being ideal for families. One of the kits even has organic dyes, while another kit features egg wraps so that no dyeing is required at all. Our top-ranking kit is versatile, includes many different decorating elements, and is offered at an unbeatable affordable price.

Regardless of which kit you choose, be sure to keep food safety and egg handling best practices in mind. Keep eggs refrigerated until you’re ready to hard boil and decorate them, and teach your kids to wash their hands after handling eggs.

Some of these kits are designed so that you can safely eat the eggs after decorating, but if eggs are left out of the fridge for more than two hours, such as during an Easter egg hunt, then they shouldn’t be consumed. Have a safe and wonderful Easter with your family!

Here are the best Easter egg decorating kits:

• Best Easter egg decorating kit overall: Paas Classic Easter Egg Decorating Kit
• Best Easter egg kit for young children: EggMazing Easter Egg Decorator Kit
• Best organic Easter egg decorating kit: Eco-Eggs Coloring and Grass Growing Kit
• Best Easter egg wrap kit: Paas Egg Arounds
• Best Ukrainian Easter egg decorating kit: Super Color Kit for Ukrainian Easter Eggs

Read on in the slides below to check out our top picks.

The best Easter egg decorating kit overall

Why you’ll love it: With items including dye, egg arounds, stickers, and more, this well-rounded Paas Classic Easter Egg Decorating Kit provides plenty of decorating options at a great price.

If you’re looking for a versatile Easter egg decorating kit to keep the kids entertained, the Paas Classic Easter Egg Decorating Kit is a great choice. At just $6, you can’t beat the price, and this kit contains a little bit of everything to give your eggs variety.

While this kit may be highly affordable, it’s stuffed full of 127 items, including 91 stickers, nine silly circles, nine dye tablets, and more.

Not only does this kit contain everything you need for dyeing eggs, including a drying tray and egg dipper, but it allows your kids to explore a variety of decorating techniques. There are plenty of stickers, and wrap-arounds give your eggs a different appearance.

Your kids are also likely to love the “magic crayon,” which allows you to draw fun designs on each egg before dyeing for a custom look. With this kit, your kids can use their imagination for custom egg designs.

The Paas Classic Easter Egg Decorating Kit has a 3.6 out of 5-star rating on Amazon, based on 17 reviews. One reviewer named Brian D. Hoffman wrote, “What's not to like! Did its job as described.” Another named Amber Joy noted the kit had great colors, and wrote, “My daughter loved the kit!!”

Pros: Includes many items for a variety of decorating techniques, excellent price

Cons: Dye isn’t the strongest so repeated dyeing may be needed

Buy the Paas Classic Easter Egg Decorating Kit on Amazon for $4 to 9

The best Easter egg decorating kit for young children

Why you’ll love it: The EggMazing Easter Egg Decorator Kit offers minimal mess decorating that’s ideal for young kids.

Egg decorating can be great fun, but dye has a way of getting on everyone’s hands, on the table, and even on the floor. If you’re looking for a low-mess option, the EggMazing Easter Egg Decorator Kit may be the right choice for your family.

This kit includes eight markers and eliminates the entire process of dipping and drying eggs. The markers allow even young children to get in on the fun, and give kids more control of the designs that they want to create on the eggs.

In addition to the markers, this kit includes an egg decorator that is powered by four AA batteries. The decorator holds and turns the egg slowly, allowing for even coloring all around the egg. Of course, kids can also use the markers to freehand on the eggs. Best of all, there’s no dye, so there’s no smell.

The EggMazing Easter Egg Decorator Kit has a 4.2 out of 5-star Amazon rating based on 517 reviews. One reviewer who goes by KidzMD wrote, “My 15-year-old, who has hit the "cool" phase, at first moaned about having to color eggs with the family. However, after he did an egg with the eggmazing, he then went on to do two more. The next day he "had" to boil more eggs and did 6 more. Really a fantastic item.”

Another reviewer named Katie G. also found that the whole family wanted to get in on the fun: “Every adult (60's and 30's) in the house had a blast and the kids (10, 13, and 14) wanted to do new ones daily.”

Pros: Includes eight non-toxic markers for minimal mess decorating, powered decorator makes it easy to create fun designs, hands-free

Cons: Colors can rub off on the wheels, so it’s important to clean the machine often

Buy the EggMazing Easter Egg Decorator Kit on Amazon for $25.99

The best organic decorating kit

Why you’ll love it: Not only does the Eco-Eggs Coloring and Grass Growing Kit use safe, organic dyes, it even includes everything you need to grow grass to beautifully display your eggs.

Are you concerned about just what’s contained in traditional egg dyes and food coloring? The Eco-Eggs Coloring and Grass Growing Kit offers an all-natural, organic solution to egg dyeing.

This kit includes dyes made with organic extracts from annatto seed, curcumin, purple sweet potato, and red cabbage. You can use the three powder-based coloring packets and the coloring chart to mix up to six colors.

This kit offers more than just traditional egg dyeing fun. An eco-crayon allows kids to decorate their eggs prior to dyeing. Additionally, this kit contains grass seed and two eco-coconut husk pucks. Add water to the pucks to make soil, plant your grass seed, and grow grass to make a unique display for your decorated eggs.  

The Eco-Eggs Coloring and Grass Growing Kit has a 5 out of 5-star review on Bella Luna Toys.

One reviewer named Dianne wrote, “I really like that you only use warm water and the dye, so the kitchen doesn't smell like vinegar. That on top of not having to worry about my family eating the dye that stains the boiled egg inside is a wonderful bonus!”

Another reviewer named Christina M. wrote, “The dyes can be faint or bold. If you leave the egg in for a few seconds it's a very beautiful light color (like yellow). If you leave the egg in for a long time (we left our last egg in the blue for over an hour!) the color was intense and bold.”

Pros: Non-toxic organic dyes are safe and all-natural, soil and grass seed are included for a beautiful egg display, eco-crayon enhances decorating options

Cons: While three dye colors are included, you need to mix dyes to create up to six colors

Buy the Eco-Eggs Coloring and Grass Growing Kit on Amazon for $10.95

Insider Picks writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

• Even without an oven, it's easy to prepare pizza at home, whether you're making it from scratch or simply heating up a frozen pie.
• You likely already have all the tools required to make pizza without an oven right there in your kitchen, or you can purchase them at surprisingly low prices.
• We recommend Calphalon's toaster oven as an oven substitute, Lodge cast iron pans for stovetop pizza, and the Maxi Nature Kitchenware pizza pans for grilling.
• Once you have enjoyed grilled or cast iron skillet pizza, you may not go back to oven-baked pizza even once the option presents itself.

While various forms of flatbreads topped with cheeses, meats, vegetables, and herbs have been consumed for centuries by civilizations around the world, pizza, as we know it today, has only been around for about 250 years.

We have the poorer residents of late 1700s Naples to thank for this delectable foodstuff, as pizza was the main foodstuff of the city's working class in that era. Though disdained as peasant food for nearly a century after it became commonplace, many of the pies these 18th century Neapolitans were eating closely resemble pizzas still enjoyed today, such as the Pizza Mozzarella, later renamed the Margherita pizza in honor of Italy's Queen Margherita a century later.

Today, most of us can have a pizza delivered to our door in a matter of minutes after we order over the phone or online. There are also a plethora of frozen pizza options that cook up into surprisingly delectable dinners. And finally, of course, there is always homemade pizza.

Making pizza from scratch is actually quite simple and, with a bit of practice, arguably the best way to enjoy pizza, as you can control every aspect of the process, from dough consistency to cheese quantity to toppings to seasoning and so on. If you're interested in making your own pizza, consider the book "The Elements of Pizza" by Ken Forkish, and check out our guide to everything you need to make pizza at home.

But whether you're making it from scratch, cooking it from frozen, or re-heating a cold pie you ordered from a restaurant, you can't make pizza without an oven. Right? No. Wrong. You can. That's what we're talking about today, people.

Read on in the slides below to learn how to make pizza without an oven.

How to make pizza in a toaster oven

So you want to bake a pizza, whether fresh or frozen, but you don't have a conventional oven? Zero problem! The easiest solution here is to get a countertop electric oven AKA a toaster oven that plugs into any outlet, no gas line connection required.

Many countertop ovens are compact and affordable and will fit the smaller space of a cramped apartment.

On the lower end of the budget range, consider the $69 Hamilton Beach Easy Reach Toaster Oven, which can bake a pizza up to 12-inches in diameter.

At the other end of the price spectrum, the $199.99 Calphalon Quartz Heat Countertop Toaster Oven can also cook up 12-inch pies, and thanks to its 11 preset cooking functions — including pizza, toast, bake, broil, and more — it can cook just about anything else, too. It also comes with a pizza pan.

You can check out more toaster oven options in our buying guide.

Buy the Hamilton Beach Easy Reach Toaster Oven on Amazon for $69

Buy the Calphalon Quartz Heat Countertop Toaster Oven on Amazon for $199.99 (originally $249.99)

Read our full guide to the best toaster ovens you can buy

How to make pizza on the stove

While surely the easiest way to make pizza without a conventional oven is to simply make it with a countertop oven, that's far from the only way. Stovetop pizza can be delicious to eat and fun to make, as long as you pay close attention to the cooking process.

While you can make stovetop pizza in just about any decent pan, a seasoned cast iron skillet is the best choice for even cooking and great flavor. I recommend a pre-seasoned $24.99 Lodge 12-inch Cast Iron Skillet. Here's how to use it.

1. Drizzle two to three tablespoons of olive, grapeseed, or avocado oil into the pan and turn the burner to medium heat.
2. Stretch out fresh dough to fit the diameter of the pan, and make sure your sauce, cheese, and toppings are at the ready.
3. Place dough into pan and allow it to cook for about three minutes until the bottom is browning nicely.
4. Flip dough and quickly apply sauce, cheese, and toppings atop the cooked half.
5. Cook for three to four additional minutes, covering pan if need be to ensure even and thorough melting.

And that's it! Not only is stovetop pizza faster than baked pizza, it's often tastier, too, as the seasoning of the cast iron imparts a rich, herb and spice flavor.

Buy the Lodge 12-inch Cast Iron Skillet on Amazon for $24.99 (originally $42.22)

Read our guide to the best cast iron pans you can buy

How to make pizza on the grill

Grilled pizza can be a messy affair. If your dough is too soft, it might drip down past the grates, wasting the food and leading to the most intense grill cleaning session of your life. It's also easy to burn the pie and ruin it that way, too, especially on the first few attempts.

But with patience and practice, grilled pizza will taste as good as the brick oven fired stuff you get from the finest pizzeria in town. Especially if you cook with added wood chips or cook using a pellet stove for that genuine wood-fired oven taste!

Also, I recommend a good pizza grill pan, which can help keep the dough intact as it cooks. Pro tip: Get a set of two, and place one under the raw dough one on top.

When it's time for the flip, you will have the dough sandwiched between the pair, and can then remove the pan left on top that's covering the cooked dough, which is now ready for toppings.

1. Heat your gas grill to about 600 degrees Fahrenheit, or get a charcoal grill fully lit and evenly burning.
2. Stretch and roll your dough, then brush both sides with oil.
3. Place dough on the grill (ideally on a pan) and cook for three minutes; watch out for charring and keep the top off the grill.
4. Flip the dough, then immediately apply sauce, cheese, and topping.
5. Close the grill, and cook for an additional three minutes before checking to see if the pie is ready. Which it probably will be.

Buy a 20-pound bag of Traeger PEL319 Oak Wood Grill Pellets on Amazon for $18.99 (originally $20.43)

Buy a 2-pack of 13-inch Maxi Nature Kitchenware Pizza Pans on Amazon for $19.90 (originally $29.90)

• Kim Jong Un's half-brother, Kim Jong Nam, was killed at Kuala Lumpur airport in February 2017 after two women smeared VX nerve agent on his face.
• Both women have consistently claimed their innocence, saying instead they thought they were taking part in a prank TV show.
• The trial ended abruptly on Monday when the only remaining defendant pleaded guilty to a comparatively minor charge of "causing hurt," instead of the initial charge of murder.
• The other defendant was released last month with no formal explanation. Neither woman had testified in the trial.
• There are a number of unexplained mysteries and inconsistencies in the case, which could now may never be cleared up.

The trial into the assassination of the half-brother of Kim Jong Un ended on Monday without testimony from either defendant.

The resultant lack of detail on how Kim Jong Nam's assassination really went down could turn the death into a mystery forever.

A Vietnamese woman, Doan Thi Huong, and an Indonesian woman, Siti Aisyah, were accused of killing Kim Jong Nam after smearing the lethal nerve agent VX on his face at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia, in February 2017.

The video below shows footage of the assassination, obtained by Japan's Fuji TV channel and annotated by the UK's Channel 5 News.

Both women were originally charged with murder, but denied it. In Malaysia, murder is punishable with death.

While the women accept that they rubbed a substance into Kim's face, they have said they did not know what it was, and thought they thought they were taking part in a prank TV show.

Kim was the eldest son of North Korean's former leader Kim Jong Il and one of his mistresses. He was once considered a potential successor.

The murder trial, which started in October 2017, has been mired in multiple delays and ended abruptly, without the murder charges being fully litigated.

On Monday Doan Thi Huong, the Vietnamese defendant, pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of voluntarily "causing hurt by a dangerous weapon" — in this case the nerve agent — and was sentenced to 40 months in jail.

The sentence will be counted for her February 2017 arrest, which would give her a release date of June 2020.

However, her lawyer told reporters that Huong would be freed in this May, less than two months after her guilty plea, because of a a one-third reduction in her sentence for good behavior, The Associated Press reported.

Last month Malaysian prosecutors unexpectedly dropped murder charges against Aisyah.

Neither the judge presiding over the case nor prosecutors explained the reasoning behind the early release.

Malaysian Attorney General Tommy Thomas said it came after lobbying from the Indonesian government, and that Malaysia made the decision "taking into account the good relations" between the two countries.

Read more:Malaysia abruptly released a woman accused of murdering Kim Jong Un's half brother with a nerve agent and won't say why

The end of the case means that neither Huong nor Aisyah were able to testify.

Their testimonies would have provided an important glimpse into how the two women were involved in the plot and who recruited them.

There are still a number of unexplained mysteries and inconsistencies about the case — and now they may never be resolved.

The defendants said they thought it was a prank, not an assassination

The two women have claimed to know nothing about any assassination plot. Aisyah said she was recruited to be part of a Japanese prank show in January 2017, five weeks before the assassination.

She said her "trainers" led her through luxury hotels, malls, and airports in Malaysia and Cambodia, where she practiced smearing oil and hot sauce on Chinese-looking men, GQ reported in September 2017. It's not clear if Huong received the same training.

Aisyah's handlers — a man who purported to be Japanese, and another who purported to be Chinese — were later revealed to be North Korean agents, GQ reported.

Malaysia singled out four North Korean suspects in the murder, but they fled the country on the day of the assassination. Their whereabouts are not known.

According to GQ, Aisyah was so convinced by the gameshow cover story that she even thought her arrest and imprisonment were part of the prank.

Andreano Erwin, the acting Indonesian ambassador in Malaysia, told GQ: "The first time we visited her, she kept asking when she could leave the jail. The second, she complained that she still hadn't been paid for the last prank. The third time, she accused us of being part of the prank."

"The fourth time, we showed her a newspaper proving Kim Jong Nam had died," he said. "When she saw it, she started to cry."

Why plot to kill Kim Jong Nam?

Kim Jong Un is believed to have felt uneasy about Kim Jong Nam, who was previously spoken of as a successor to their father.

This has prompted claims that Kim Jong Un engineered the murder plot.

(Kim Jong Nam fell out of favor with his father in the early 2000s, reportedly after he and his family were caught trying to enter Japan on false Dominican Republican passports so they could go to Disneyland.)

Read more: Mystery children, sibling rivalries, and sudden disappearances: This is Kim Jong Un's family tree

Japan's Asahi Shimbun reported last year that days, before Kim was killed, he met with a US intelligence official in Malaysia.

The news outlet said records from Kim's computer showed a record of a thumb drive being inserted.

The alleged meeting reinforces a theory that the US, and possibly even China, were trying to groom and leverage Kim Jong Nam to possibly remove Kim Jong Un from power, Business Insider's Alex Lockie reported.

Why was Kim Jong Nam was carrying an antidote?

Kim was carrying a dozen vials of atropine, an antidote for poisons like VX, in his bag on the day he was assassinated, the murder trial heard.

Six months before he was killed, he also reportedly told a friend that his life was in danger.

Why he did not use the antidote upon being smeared with VX is not clear.

Upon hearing her sentence on Monday, Huong cried in the courtroom and later told reporters according to the BBC: "Only God knows that we did not commit the murder. I want my family to pray for me."

SEE ALSO: https://www.businessinsider.com/kim-jong-uns-murdered-half-brother-kim-jong-nam-was-scared-for-his-life-2018-2

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: North Korean defector: Kim Jong Un 'is a terrorist'

• Nigeria's minister of agriculture claimed that wealthy citizens are ordering pizzas from London and having them delivered back home on British Airways flights.
• Audu Ogbeh's comments come as Nigeria tries to cut down its reliance on foreign imports, which is seen as a status symbol.
• Ogbeh said the imports were harming local farmers.

Some wealthy Nigerians are ordering pizzas from London and having them delivered back home on British Airways flights, a government minister has claimed.

Audu Ogbeh, Nigeria's minister of agriculture, told a senate committee last Tuesday: "Do you know, sir, that there are Nigerians who use their cellphones to import pizza from London? [They] buy in London, they bring it on British Airways in the morning to pick up at the airport."

"It is a very annoying situation," he added, "and we have to move a lot faster in cutting down some of these things."

Ogbeh doesn't name the Nigerians who allegedly make the orders, and it's not clear whether they personally fly to London for the pizzas or get someone else to do it.

Watch Ogbeh's speech here:

Ogbeh's comments came as Nigeria tries to cut down on its reliance on foreign imports, which the minister said was costing local farmers, Nigerian news site The Cable reported.

Ogbeh also slammed citizens who rely on imports, which are seen as status symbols.

Some citizens import daily necessities like rice and tomato paste because they think "it shows status, class, that they only eat imported things," Ogbeh said, according to the Daily Mail.

Amara Nwankpa, a director at the Yar'Adua Foundation in Abuja, responded in jest: "Dear @British_Airways, how come you didn't tell us you run a pizza delivery service to Nigeria? Is there an app for this?"

Business Insider has contacted British Airways for comment on Ogbeh's claim.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How the Koenigsegg Jesko is designed to break 300 mph

• Icelandic ultra-low-cost carrier Wow Air ceased operations on Thursday. 
• Reykjavik-based Wow Air suffered through a challenging 2018 which culminated with the airline slashing 111 jobs and cutting its fleet size by half. 
• Wow Air is at least the fifth European airline to collapse to since October. 

Icelandic ultra-low-cost carrier Wow Air announced on Thursday that it has ceased operations. Reykjavik-based Wow Air suffered through a challenging 2018 which culminated with the airline slashing 111 jobs and cutting its fleet size by half. 

In the first nine months of 2018, the airline's losses more than doubled, to $33.6 million from $13.5 million in the same period in 2017, even as revenue surged by 31%, to $501 million.

Read more: Wow Air has shut down. Here's what went wrong, according to the company's CEO.

Still, the airline's sudden collapse took both its employees and passengers by surprise, stranding hundreds around the world. 

"My heart broke into 100 pieces this morning when I got the news," a Wow Air flight attendant told Business Insider on Thursday. "I loved every single flight that I operated, even though it was sometimes a bit of a struggle waking up at 3 a.m. for a morning flight."

After launching in 2012, Wow Air became known for its brightly painted purple planes, no-frills in-flight products, and low prices. In some cases, the airline offered one-way flights between the US and Europe for as little as $49.

Unfortunately, the carrier's decision to acquire wide-body Airbus A330-300 jetliners and a move away from its traditional ultra-low-cost business model proved to be a mistake, Wow Air founder and CEO Skuli Mogensen told Business Insider in January.

Read more: 22 famous airlines that have gone out of business.

Sadly, the collapse of Wow Air is an old story we've heard before. In fact, no fewer than five European airlines have gone out of business since October. 

Here's a closer look at those five airlines.  

SEE ALSO: Why passengers stranded by the collapse of Wow Air will likely never see a refund from the airline

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Primera Air: defunct October 2018.

Primera Air was a subsidiary of Icelandic tourism company Primera Travel Group. Primera Air had been in the process of expanding into the low-cost inter trans-Atlantic airline with a fleet of Airbus A321neo aircraft. The carrier ceased operations on October 2, 2018. 

Cobalt Airways: defunct October 2018.

Cypress-based Cobalt Air was founded in late 2015 following the shutdown of the country's national airline Cypress Airways earlier that year. Unfortunately, the airline could not sustain its operation financially and shut down on October 17, 2018. 

Germania: defunct February 2019.

Founded in 1978, Berlin-based Germania offered by charter and scheduled passenger service. The airline ceased operations on February 5, 2019, citing financial insolvency due to high fuel prices and the devaluation of the Euro against the US dollar. 

Insider Picks writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

• I asked a celebrity dermatologist, Dr. Dendy Engelman, to go over my skin-care routine with a fine-tooth comb to show me what I'm doing right, and what I'm doing wrong.
• Below, Dr. Engelman uses my routine as a template to offer product recommendations and helpful advice on how to make sure your products actually work together.

In the past few years, I've been lucky to work in a field that requires me to spend an extensive amount of time researching skin-care products and then testing them out on myself to see what's worthwhile. Quickly, you get good at spotting the winners from just the ingredient lists, and you become more adept at addressing your skin's needs as they arise. 

But back in the day, I was a high schooler dealing with my first round of acne that couldn't be solved by what my mother recommended: freshly washed sheets, a simple face wash, and drinking more water. At the end of the day, I just wanted someone to put my skin-care routine under a microscope, and explain to me in plain English why things weren't working. But the expense of dermatology appointments meant the resource was more of a luxury. A new salicylic topical treatment from CVS was cheaper and more accessible than to pay for ongoing prescriptions. 

Now, things are different. My skin is mostly clear, and I have the privilege of visiting a dermatologist continually.

I also have the encouragement and resources to regularly discover solid products, rather than buying whichever has the best marketing campaign. But, I'm still human, and I regularly and knowingly cut corners with my own routine. I don't always follow best practices. Plus, even if what makes a good product actually good is no longer a mystery to me, what makes a harmonious skin-care routine still is. 

To help myself, and anyone else reading, figure out how to construct a good skin-care routine, I asked a dermatologist to deconstruct my own.

Dr. Dendy Engelman is a nationally acclaimed dermatologic surgeon and renown dermatologist. Previously, she's offered expertise and been interviewed as a celebrity dermatologist in publications such as Glamour, Vogue, and W Magazine. Currently, Dr. Engelman sees patients at MDCS: Manhattan Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery and is a clinical assistant professor and director of dermatologic surgery at Metropolitan Hospital Center. 

Below, you'll find Dr. Engelman's input on what I'm doing right, wrong, and which products she personally recommends. 

Evening routine

What I do:

1. First, I free my skin of grime and makeup with Maelove Day Eraser ($19) and warm water or Bioderma Micellar water ($15), either lazily by hand or with cotton pads.
2. I wash my face with Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Pore Perfecting Cleansing Gel ($38) in warm water. 
3. Once dry, I apply Dr. Dennis Gross Clinical Grade IPL Dark Spot Correcting Serum ($92) to my face all over.

What Dr. Engelman says I should be doing:

This is a great start, but you are missing a step. In the evening, it's about removing the day’s grime and gunk off your face. I follow a double-cleansing ritual. (Which it looks like you do, too!). Step one involves removing the day's cream, makeup, and dirt with a nutrient-rich towelette or cotton pad to erase every trace of eye makeup with a liquid remover. Next, draw out sebum and bacteria using a gentle oil cleanser and lukewarm water. Oil eliminates impurities without drying out your skin. I use an oil-based cleanser first like Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Replenishing Cleansing Oil ($36).

Then you move on to a serum. Serums are the workhorse products that deliver actives deep into the skin that target specific concerns like fine lines, hyperpigmentation, and more. My favorites are SkinMedica HA5 Rejuvenating Hydrator ($120) and SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic ($166). I also like Dr. Gross’ products. (Editor's note: There's a much more affordable $30 Maelove serum with has a similar ingredient list to SkinCeuticals that we also recommend.)

Lastly, you need a moisturizer. While you're sleeping, the body's hydration rebalances. Skin is able to recover moisture, while excess water in general in the body is processed for removal. How this works is that skin can lose water while you sleep, and serums and creams can create a permeable seal on top of your skin so that whatever you have underneath it can penetrate. When the body is in a deep, restful sleep, the skin’s metabolism increases and cell turnover escalates, so we want to support that crucial renewal process. I like First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Face Moisturizer ($24) and SkinCeuticals Renew Overnight Cream Dry ($61). Elizabeth Arden and Dr. Brandt also have a great overnight mask.

Morning routine

What I do: 

1. If I’m running behind, I just apply Maelove's The One Cream ($28) before heading out the door. 
2. If I have time, I wash my face with Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Pore Perfecting Cleansing Gel ($38) in warm water. 
3. Once dry, I apply Dr. Dennis Gross' Clinical Grade IPL Dark Spot Correcting Serum ($92) to my face all over.
4. Once the serum absorbs, I apply the Drunk Elephant Protini Lotion ($68) on top.

What Dr. Engelman says I should be doing:

When it comes to skin care, always start layering the products with the lightest consistency like toner, followed by serums and ampoules. Next are any prescription topical treatments and lotions and, finally, sunscreen. I definitely want to see a sunscreen in your skin-care routine!

Since all you did was sleep after applying your nighttime skin care, cleansing is less important. I like this serum, [but] it does have lactic acid and glycolic acid, which could be exfoliating your skin too much. I like vitamin C serums during the day to help fight free radical damage. Then a moisturizer. I like this Maelove moisturizer— squalene provides intense hydration and I am a big believer of probiotics to keep the skin balanced.

Lastly, sunscreen should be applied daily. Incidental sun exposure for only 10-15 minutes a day adds up over time and can cause significant sun damage and accelerated photoaging. (Editor's note: Neutrogena Ultra Sheer ($8) is a popular and affordable non-greasy option.)

Masking and acne

What I do:

1. I use Differin Gel ($25) with nothing else on top of it at night to clear surface-level acne when necessary. 
2. Once a week, I use the Drunk Elephant Babyfacial ($80) to give me a glow.
3. For a bad breakout, I apply the Aztec Clay Mask ($11).

What Dr. Engelman says I should be doing:

Differin is great, and I highly recommend it. But retinol is drying. Apply a gentle moisturizer [like Maelove's The One Cream] over it; just use one without BHAs (since they'll deactivate each other) and vitamin C (which can be too active for the skin).

I love masks for many reasons, from replenishing hydration to exfoliating the skin. Masks are supercharged because they add concentrated active ingredients back into the skin in a short time frame. Some of my favorites are Derm Institute Antioxidant Gel Masks ($120), iS Clinical Tri-Active Exfoliant ($60) and Elizabeth Arden Probiotic Boost Skin Renewal Biocellulose Mask ($67). (Editor's note: Dr Brandt's popular overnight Hydro Biotic face mask is slightly cheaper at $52.)

Clay does a great job at absorbing excess oils, but if you put it on for too long, you will notice your face becoming really dry. The goal is to absorb excess oil but not absorb so much that your skin is dry and overcompensating by producing extra oil. Therefore the goal should not be to prolong the time the product is on your face but to stick to the recommended time or when you start to feel tightness from the mask, you should plan to rinse it off in two-five minutes.

• With each 2020 presidential candidate's campaign announcement comes a logo and accompanying branding for their campaign, including fundraising websites, advertising, and social-media posts.
• We asked five graphic-design and branding experts to rate the logos of the 2020 presidential candidates on a scale of 1 to 10, in which 1 is the worst, 5.5 is just okay, and 10 is excellent.
• Our panel of judges were not generally impressed by the logos thus far.
• The writer, designer, and podcast host Debbie Millman called Andrew Yang's logo "an abomination." 
• Sen. Kamala Harris, Sen. Cory Booker, and former Rep. Beto O'Rourke got the most positive feedback out of the 16 logos that were reviewed.

With the 2020 election already in full swing, presidential candidates have unveiled their (sometimes) shiny new logos. 

Branding has always played a huge role in politics, but it is especially important in the digital age, when people's first interactions with a candidate are often through their website or social-media presence. If a candidate's logo, slogans, colors, and messaging don't stand out in an already crowded race, it can greatly influence how far they make it and how much name recognition they gain.

In 2008, then Sen. Barack Obama's iconic "O" became the symbol his campaign ran on. This created a shift in how candidates treated their branding, which was reflected in future campaigns. In 2016, Hillary Clinton attempted to replicate this effect with an "H" that incorporated an arrow across the letter. 

According to Deroy Peraza, the principal and creative director at the Brooklyn-based design studio Hyperakt, the most successful 2020 branding will come from campaigns that "aren’t afraid to show the identity of the candidate and break with traditional norms, which in political branding are red, white and blue." 

We saw the influence of having a unique color pallete during the 2018 midterm elections, when freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made history as the youngest woman elected to Congress. She stood out from her longtime-incumbent opponent by highlighting her heritage and youthfulness with a bright yellow and purple color pallete for her logo and posters. 

Now other candidates are attempting to replicate her success. Sen. Kamala Harris, Marianne Williamson, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren are all experimenting with color in their 2020 campaigns. But color is only part of the battle when it comes to branding. There are many other elements, including typeface, layout, and slogan choice that can ultimately make or break a logo.

We asked five graphic-design and branding experts to rate the 2020 campaign logos on a scale of 1 to 10, in which 1 is the worst, 5.5 is just okay, and 10 is excellent. Our panel of judges consisted of:

• Steven Heller: Author, coauthor, and editor of more than 100 books on design and popular culture, and the cofounder and cochair of the MFA Designer as Author program at the School of Visual Arts.
• Ellen Lupton:Curator at Cooper Hewitt and director of the Graphic Design MFA program at Maryland Institute College of Art.
• Dan Formosa: Design consultant, writer, and cofounder of the Masters in Branding program at the School of Visual Arts.
• Jenna Navitsky:Executive creative director at the Brooklyn-based branding and design agency Red Antler.
• Debbie Millman: Writer, designer, cofounder of the Masters in Branding Program at the School of Visual Arts, and host of the Design Matters podcast.

The following ranking of logos is based on the average score each one received from our panel.

SEE ALSO: Beto O'Rourke's logo for his 2020 presidential run is drawing comparisons to iconic Texas chain Whataburger

SEE ALSO: Here's everyone who has officially announced they are running for president in 2020

15. Former Maryland Rep. John Delaney

Average score: 2.2/10

Heller: 2/10  – "This is just poor design. The 'D' is ugly and does not harmonize with the type, which is also uninteresting."

Lupton: 4/10  – "An interstate highway heading to the future? No thanks. I’ll walk."

Formosa: 2/10 – "For whatever positive qualities you would hope to see embodied in a presidential candidate,  I can safely say that none of them are being communicated here."

Navitsky: 2/10– "Lots of competing elements here. I’m also not sure if this is a presidential candidate or someone who is going to be refinishing driveways."

Millman: 1/10– No comment given.

Editor’s note: The Delaney campaign is using a new logo.

14. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee

Average score: 2.2/10

Heller: 2/10 – "Poor type choice."

Lupton: 3/10– "Whose moment? The candidate’s? The Democrats’? Who is this candidate? Who are the Democrats?"

Formosa: 3/10 – "More of a corporate logo than a personal logo, with a message 'Our moment' that says little."

Navitsky: 3/10 – "Secretly I want to give this a 10 because it’s so unexpected and weird, but ultimately it doesn’t feel like there’s a human behind it. And that seems fairly problematic."

Millman: 0/10  – No comment given.

13. Entrepreneur Andrew Yang

Average score: 2.7/10

Heller: 4.5/10 – "Conventional, but using the flag in a somewhat clever fashion."

Lupton: 3/10 – "The flag cliché is really struggling here."

Formosa: 2/10 – "Not much to say about this red, white, and blue logo other than it looks like it’s coming from someone running for mayor of a small town. It’s not communicating anything beyond that to convince you he’s the guy you want."

Navitsky: 4/10– "Forward momentum seems like the right message to send for 2020, but this overall feels pretty safe."

Millman: 0/10 – "An abomination."

Read more about Yang's campaignhere.

• People born into wealth can go one of two ways, Disney heiress Abigail Disney told The Cut.
• They either spend money all the time and seek attention — "the Kim Kardashian West route," Disney said.
• Alternatively, they do the opposite and try to hide their wealth, Disney said.

There are two different paths those born into extreme wealth end up taking, Abigail Disney recently told The Cut.

Granddaughter of Roy O. Disney, cofounder of The Walt Disney Company, Abigail is an heiress to the Disney fortune. While she stayed mum on the exact size of her inheritance, she told The Cut that she could be a billionaire if she wanted and that she's donated more than $70 million since turning 21. 

"I think that people who grow up in this kind of life go one of two ways," Disney said. "They either go the Kim Kardashian route, which is spending, spending, spending, completely absorbing the idea that, 'Yes, you are that special,' and wanting everyone to look at you." 

She continued: "Or, and I know a lot of people who've gone this way — especially my women friends — you do the opposite. I wore shitty clothes around. I didn't want anyone to know what I had. I spent most of my 20s in graduate school, and graduate school is where people shame you for having money. I was embarrassed by it. I didn't want anyone to know."

Read more: An heiress to the Disney fortune has given away $70 million, and teaches her kids that money is the least important thing about them

She went on to say that her kids are somewhat the same way as she was, wanting to support themselves and not let anyone know their background.

It's not hard to find differences in how those who inherited money choose to display their wealth. 

Just look at the "Rich Kids of Instagram," now known as "Rich Kids of the Internet," a group of millennial influencers who are known for flaunting their wealthy lifestyles on social media. They've shown off everything from beach vacations in Malaysia to their private jets and yachting trips around Monte Carlo.

It's a stark contrast to Warren Buffett's three kids, to whom Buffett only plans to leave a small fraction of his $84-plus billion fortune. Like their father, they don't flash their riches: They were raised to find their own place in the world, and all three are philanthropists.

Read the full story on The Cut »

SEE ALSO: A woman who studied 600 millionaires says the key to getting rich has nothing to do with how smart you are

DON'T MISS: An NFL player who saves almost all his salary teaches a UPenn class called 'Life 101,' and his first assignment shocks students

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Watch Google's Stadia video-game-platform event in 5 minutes

Personal Finance Insider writes about products, strategies, and tips to help you make smart decisions with your money. Business Insider may receive a commission from The Points Guy Affiliate Network, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

• Credit cards frequently offer large sign-up bonuses to try and entice new customers.
• Opening a new credit card and earning these bonuses is the fastest way to build your stocks of credit card rewards, hotel loyalty points, and frequent-flyer miles.
• This April, 2019, there are a few fantastic limited-time bonuses available on co-branded credit cards, including from IHG and Marriott.
• The Chase Sapphire Preferred Cardraised its sign-up bonus for the first time since 2015 from 50,000 points to 60,000 — its highest-ever.
• Ending Wednesday: Delta's three main credit cards are offering double their normal welcome offers — this is your last chance to apply.

The fastest way to earn rewards points, cash back, and frequent-flyer miles is to open a new credit card and earn its sign-up or welcome bonus.

Credit card issuers like Chase and AmEx offer huge bonuses to attract customers, while designing card features with long-term, continuing value in an effort to keep them. This offers consumers a chance to take advantage of these bonuses, perks, and features.

You can read more about earning new card-member bonuses and how that will affect your credit score here, or scroll down to find some of the best offers available this month.

Keep in mind that we're focusing on the rewards and perks that make these credit cards great options, not things like interest rates and late fees, which can far outweigh the value of any rewards.

When you're working to earn credit card rewards, it's important to practice financial discipline, like paying your balances off in full each month, making payments on time, and not spending more than you can afford to pay back. Basically, treat your credit card like a debit card.

1. Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express

Welcome offer: 75,000 Delta SkyMiles and 5,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) (after spending $3,000 in the first three months). Ends April 3.

Until Wednesday, all three of Delta's main credit cards are offering double the normal bonus. You can learn more about the different cards here.

The Delta Platinum SkyMiles card is one of my personal favorites, because even though it has a $195 annual fee, it pays for itself. The first year, you can earn a welcome bonus — right now it's 75,000 SkyMiles when you meet the spending requirement, as opposed to the normal 35,000 miles — which more than makes up for the year.

Every year after that, on your card-member anniversary, you'll get a companion pass good for a domestic round-trip flight in economy (or "Main Cabin" as Delta calls it). The companion pass is essentially a "buy-one-get-one-free" certificate. When you book an economy-class flight for yourself anywhere within the continental US, you can get a second flight for free, other than minimal taxes and fees.

For me, the value of the pass at least cancels out the annual fee, and in some cases offers enough value to mean I'm making a profit. Although I've heard from a few readers before that they felt the companion pass terms were too restrictive, I respectfully disagree (for what it's worth, I live near a Delta hub). For instance, last year I used my companion pass to book a flight for my wife and me to pick up our new puppy — the tickets were about $225 each, and when I redeemed the pass, we only had to pay $24 of taxes and fees for her ticket.

The card also offers plenty of perks for Delta flyers, including one free checked bag for each person on the cardholder's reservation; priority boarding so that you can settle in sooner and snag space in the overhead compartments; discounted access to Delta Sky Club lounges; a 20% discount in the form of a statement credit on Delta in-flight purchases; and no foreign-transaction fees.

If you aren't interested in the companion pass, you can also consider the Gold version of the card (the Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express). The card offers similar benefits, except for the companion pass, and only has a $95 annual fee that is waived the first year. Its limited-time welcome offer is 60,000 SkyMiles when you spend $2,000 in three months — also ending April 3.

You can read more about the limited-time offers and the differences between the two cards here. Even if you've had one of them before, you can still get the bonus on the other one.

The welcome offers on these two cards are tied for the highest-ever made publicly available, in terms of SkyMiles. 

Click here to learn more about the Gold Delta Amex card from Insider Picks' partner: The Points Guy

Click here to learn more about the Platinum Delta Amex card from Insider Picks' partner: The Points Guy

2. Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

Sign-up bonus: 60,000 points (after spending $4,000 in the first three months)

The Sapphire Preferred is one of the most popular all-around rewards credit cards, and it's easy to see why. This card earns 2x points per dollar spent on just about all travel and dining purchases, and 1x point on everything else. It also comes with a ton of travel and purchase protections, such as rental car insurance, trip delay coverage, and extended warranty.

The card's sign-up bonus was just raised for the first time since 2015— it's now 60,000 Ultimate Rewards (UR) points. That's worth, at the very least, $600 as cash back or gift cards. However, if you book travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal and use points to pay, you'll get a 25% bonus, making points worth 1.25 cents each. That means that the sign-up bonus would be worth $750.

Even more lucrative — the Chase Sapphire Preferred lets you transfer your UR points to a few different frequent-flyer and hotel-loyalty programs. This comes in handy because in many cases it costs fewer points to book a trip if you go through one of those programs, as opposed to using the points as cash. You can read more about why transferring points to frequent-flyer programs gets you more value here.

This all comes for a fairly standard annual fee of $95, which is not waived the first year.

Click here to learn more about the Sapphire Preferred from Insider Picks' partner, The Points Guy.

3. Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card

Welcome bonus: 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points (after spending $5,000 in the first three months). Offer ends April 24.

Last month, Marriott wrapped up a major rebranding of its loyalty program, combining it with the Starwood Preferred Guest program to create a single entity: Marriott Bonvoy.

The various terms and benefits of the program are virtually unchanged from what took effect in August, when the two separate programs were brought under a new single set of benefits.

The biggest changes under February's rebrand came to the Bonvoy's rewards credit cards, which are issued by American Express and Chase. To mark the occasion, both are offering a big, limited-time promotion on the personal cards they issue.

AmEx issues the premium version of Marriott's credit cards, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card, formerly called the SPG Luxury Card. Until April 24, new cardholders can earn 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points when they spend $5,000 on the card in the first three months.

While the card has a high $450 annual fee, it's easy to get much more value from it than you pay for that fee — especially if you stay at Marriott hotels semi-frequently.

Right off the bat, the card offers up to $300 each year in statement credits for purchases at participating Marriott hotels, which can apply to room charges. That effectively brings the fee down to $150.

It also offers a free night award each year on your cardmember anniversary, which can be redeemed at any hotel that costs 50,000 points per night or under. The card also offers complimentary Gold elite status, and comes with a Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership.

The card earns 6x points at Marriott hotels, 3x points at US restaurants and on flights booked directly with the airline, and 2x points on everything else.

Click here to learn more about the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card from Insider Picks' partner, The Points Guy.

4. Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card

Sign-up bonus: 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points (after spending $5,000 in the first three months). Only available for a limited time.

Between the yearly $300 of credits and the annual anniversary free night, the Bonvoy Brilliant card from AmEx tends to represent a better deal for cardholders.

However, the downside to that card is that you'll have to pay a $450 annual fee. Sure, you'll get the value back from the various benefits and rewards, but you'll still have to float that fee at the top of each calendar year.

For people in that camp, Chase offers the mainstream version of the personal card: the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card.

The Bonvoy Boundless currently offers the same sign-up bonus as the Bonvoy Brilliant — unlike with the Brilliant's, we don't know the Boundless offer's end date, but we do know it's only available for a limited time.

Learn more: The best credit card rewards, bonuses, and benefits of 2019

Like the Brilliant, the Boundless offers a free night award each year on your cardholder anniversary; the difference is that it's only good on rooms that would cost up to 35,000 points per night, rather than 50,000. Fortunately, that still includes plenty of properties.

The Boundless card comes with complimentary Silver elite status. Silver doesn't get you as much as Gold, but it's still something. You'll get a 10% bonus on points earned, priority for late checkout, access to a dedicated customer service line, free Wi-Fi, and more. While it's not a published benefit, you may also be given preferential rooms. You can get Gold status if you spend $35,000 or more in a calendar year. You'll also get 15 qualifying nights' worth of elite credit each calendar year, making it easier to earn Gold status or higher through hotel stays.

The card earns 6x points per dollar spent at Marriott hotels, and 2x points per dollar on everything else.

Click here to learn more about the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card from Insider Picks' partner, The Points Guy.

5. IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card

Sign-up bonus: Up to 120,000 points (80,000 points after spending $2,000 in the first three months; an additional 40,000 points after spending a total of $5,000 in the first six months).

IHG is the parent company of a handful of hotel chains, including Holiday Inn. The company has more than 5,600 properties around the world, making it the second-largest hotel brand, behind Marriott. IHG has a wide range of properties from budget options like the Holiday Inn Express, to luxurious Regent and InterContinental hotels and resorts. 

IHG's Rewards Club program is often overlooked— I know I'm guilty of passing it over without a second look in favor of Hilton Honors or Marriott Bonvoy (and back in the day, Starwood Preferred Guest).

However, the program is worth a second look, and a newly increased sign-up bonus on its primary credit card offers a perfect opportunity.

Right now, the IHG Rewards Club Premier card has a sign-up bonus of up to 120,000 points that is broken up into two parts. First, you'll earn 80,000 points if you spend $2,000 in the first three months. Then, you'll earn the remaining 40,000 points when you spend an additional $3,000 within the first six months (for a total of $5,000).

Rooms can cost as little at 10,000 points per night, depending on the property and its location within a city. The bonus is enough to cover almost two weeks' worth of nights at a Holiday Inn Express — even some in prime markets — or two to four nights at top InterContinental locations.

The card earns 10x points per dollar spent at IHG hotels, 2x points per dollar spent at gas stations, grocery stores, and restaurants, and 1x point on everything else.

It also comes with automatic Platinum elite status, which entitles you to a 50% bonus on points earned during a stay, complimentary room upgrades, late checkout when available, and guaranteed room availability with 72 hours' notice — helpful if you have a last-minute trip.

The Premier card offers an annual anniversary free night certificate that can be used at any category 1-7 hotel (hotels that cost 40,000 points per night or less). While that means that some of IHG's most premium locations are excluded, the certificate is still valid at a ton of locations all around the world.

For instance, I didn't have trouble finding properties in major cities like New York and Chicago during peak travel season — all charging well upward of $200 — that accept the free night certificate. That more than makes up for the card's $89 annual fee.

Click here to learn more about the IHG Rewards Club Premier from Insider Picks' partner: The Points Guy.

6. Platinum Card® from American Express

Welcome Offer: 60,000 points (after spending $5,000 in the first three months).

The American Express Platinum card has one of the highest annual fees of any consumer credit or charge card — $550 — but as AmEx's flagship product, this premium credit card offers a tremendous amount of value to offset that fee. For example, I got more than $2,000 worth of value in my first year with the card.

The card earns Membership Rewards points, the currency in AmEx's loyalty program, which can be exchanged for statement credits or cash back, used to book travel through AmEx's travel website, or, to get the most value, transferred to any of 17 airline and three hotel transfer partners (transferable points are among the best). Travel website The Points Guy lists a valuation of 2¢ per membership rewards point; based on that, the welcome offer is worth about $1,200.

The Platinum Card earns an incredible 5x points on airfare purchased directly from the airline, and offers an airline fee credit of up to $200 each calendar year, and up to $200 in Uber credits each card member year.

It also grants the cardholder access to more than 1,200 airport lounges around the world, including Delta Sky Clubs and AmEx's own Centurion Lounges.

Other benefits include automatic Gold elite status in the Marriott and Hilton loyalty programs, a statement credit up to $100 to cover enrollment in Global Entry/TSA PreCheck, concierge service, access to exclusive events, and much more.

If you're an active military servicemember, you can get the AmEx Platinum Card's fee waived.

You can read our complete review of the card here.

Click here to learn more about the American Express Platinum from Insider Picks' partner, The Points Guy.

7. Wells Fargo Propel American Express® Card

Welcome offer: 30,000 Go Far points (after spending $3,000 in the first three months).

This card from Wells Fargo has one of the more attractive rewards offerings you'll find from a no-annual-fee card. The current Propel card is a relaunch of an old product — Wells Fargo stopped accepting applications for the old card a year ago, before announcing the new product and reopening applications this summer.

The card earns 3x points on all travel, dining, and select streaming services (and 1x point on everything else). If that sounds familiar, it's because it's almost the same as the popular Chase Sapphire Reserve.

There are key differences between the cards. The Propel lets you redeem points for 1¢ each toward cash back, merchandise, travel, or more, while the Sapphire Reserve offers a range of more valuable redemption options — it's easy to get at least 50% more value for Chase points. Plus, the Sapphire Reserve offers a number of premium perks that the Propel doesn't, like airport lounge access, a $300 annual travel credit travel delay insurance, and more.

Of course, the Sapphire Reserve also comes with a $450 annual fee, while the Wells Fargo Propel doesn't have a fee. Between the new member offer, and the solid earning rate on popular spend categories, the Propel makes a decent option for those who don't travel often, or who aren't comfortable floating a large annual fee.

We named the Propel the best no-fee card of 2018.

Click here to learn more about the Wells Fargo Propel card from Insider Picks' partner, The Points Guy.

8. Chase Sapphire Reserve

Sign-up bonus: 50,000 points (after spending $4,000 in the first three months).

The Sapphire Reserve is basically a beefier version of the Preferred. While the card comes with the same sign-up bonus, it earns points on everyday spending faster, nabbing a higher 3x points per dollar spent on travel and dining purchases, and 1x on everything else. It also offers similar, though in many cases, enhanced travel and purchase protections.

Unlike the Preferred, the Sapphire Reserve comes with a Priority Pass Select membership, which gets you and any travel companions free access to more than 1,000 airport lounges around the world.

You can use points from the Reserve the same ways as with the Preferred, except that you'll get a 50% bonus when booking travel through Chase, making your points worth 1.5¢ each.

The card carries a higher annual fee than the Preferred: $450. However, it also comes with a $300 travel credit each card member year. Each year, you'll get statement credits for the first $300 in travel-related purchases you make, including things like subway fare, taxis, parking, and tolls, as well as airfare and hotels — naturally, you don't earn points on the purchases covered by that credit. When you subtract this credit from the annual fee, the card is effectively only $150 each year.

If you're not sure whether the Preferred or Reserve is the better card for you, take a look at this breakdown. Also keep in mind that you can typically only earn the sign-up bonus for one Sapphire-branded card every two years.

Click here to learn more about the Sapphire Reserve from Insider Picks' partner: The Points Guy.

SEE ALSO: The best credit card rewards, bonuses, and benefits of 2019

Join the conversation about this story »

Insider Picks writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider, Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

• Vans just launched ComfyCush sneakers, a new line that took the brand's classic designs and re-engineered them for comfort.
• The styles, which include Authentics, Eras, Old Skools, Slip-Ons, Sk8-His, and Zushi SFs, feature cushioned foam midsoles, padded insoles with added arch support, and one-piece interiors.
• Compared to the original Core Classics Vans, the ComfyCush sneakers are a huge improvement in comfort — and they're only $10 more. Priced at $60 to $70, they're still very affordable.
• I had previously given up on wearing Vans because I found them so uncomfortable, but the new ComfyCush sneakers have given me more than enough reasons to return to the classic styles.

A few years ago, I bought a pair of leather Vans Old Skools, and I loved everything about them — until I put them on to wear. After just a few hours, every part of my foot was in pain. The ankle collar rubbed on my heel, the stitched layers of leather at the front of the shoe dug into the top of my foot, and the cushioning in the insole was non-existent. With every step, my feet urged me to take them off and to never wear them again. 

Hoping that they'd get more comfortable with time, I wore them once more before tapping out from the pain. It took these $10 insoles to make them wearable, but I still told myself I wouldn't buy another pair of Vans, as I firmly believe that shoes should be comfortable straight out of the box. I had given up on the idea of buying any more pairs — until I caught wind of its new comfort technology called ComfyCush.

The Vans ComfyCush collection took classic, original silhouettes and re-engineered them to be more comfortable. They feature foam midsoles, padded insoles with added arch support, and one-piece interiors to eliminate seams rubbing on your feet. You'll find your favorite styles, like theAuthentic, Era, Old Skool, Slip-On, Sk8-Hi, and Zushi SF, all re-engineered with comfort in mind.

With the hopes that the new comfort technology would make a real difference, I decided to give Vans another try. I went with the ComfyCush Old Skools, so that I'd be able to compare them directly to my other pair — and the comfort improvements turned out to be remarkable. 

The differences:

My first impression of the ComfyCush Vans was that they're strikingly similar to the original models, so out of the gate, that was a major plus. As someone with a real passion for sneakers, I almost always hate when classic designs are altered or "updated" because it usually becomes a shoe that's much different than the version that's actually iconic. In the case of ComfyCush Vans, there are several notable differences, but none of which take away from the overall aesthetic of the shoe — every change has a distinct purpose.

The most important difference is the sole. While Vans typically have hard rubber soles, the ComfyCush midsoles are more cushioned and softer to the touch. The outsole has also been updated for the better. The original waffle pattern still exists, but it's layered on top of the visible ComfyCush sole. Rather than being a solid vulcanized rubber outsole, the layered design makes the shoe lighter and more flexible.

Other differences include cushioned insoles (pictured above), canvas interior ankle collars instead of leather, and one-piece interior construction, which can be felt better than it can be seen. On the original design, the different panels of the shoe (toe cap, tongue, lace stays, and the body) tend to overlap at the seams, which can cause pressure points on your feet. With the new design, that's no longer an issue.

Why I prefer them over the originals:

I personally like the ComfyCush Vans more than the originals for three main reasons: an unchanged aesthetic, superb comfort, and the price.

I have to reiterate how close they look to the originals because it's very impressive. Yes, when comparing them side-by-side (as pictured below), you'll spot slight differences in the shape, the insole, and the interior lining, but none of those changes will make you — or anyone else — think that you're wearing something other than the classic California skate shoe.

In terms of wearability and comfort, the difference is night and day. In the one month that I've owned the ComfyCush Old Skools, I've worn them more times than I've worn the other pair I bought more than a year and a half ago. I can wear them all day long with zero discomfort, whether I'm doing a lot of walking or sitting at my desk for a majority of the day. I would assume that very few people still wear the original vans for performance while skateboarding, but I would imagine that the new ComfyCush sneakers are much more forgiving on impact from landing tricks — or bailing out.

Arguably the best part about the ComfyCush sneakers is the price. Ranging from $60 to $70 depending on the style, ComfyCush Vans are only $10 more than their Core Classics (original) counterparts. The increase in price is expected, but definitely fair considering everything that it improves. At $60 to $70, they're still a lot more affordable than most sneakers on the market, whether it's a classic lifestyle silhouette or a new performance shoe.

The bottom line:

I've been trying to think of one solid reason why anyone — not just me — would choose the classics over the new ComfyCush models and I really can't come up with one. The comfort and fit are outstanding and $10 is too small of a price difference to justify saving your money.

Before, I used to like the idea of Vans, but the lack of comfort stopped me from actually liking them. Now, thanks to ComfyCush, I can finally appreciate them for what they are — a shoe that's affordable, classic, and comfortable. 

Ultimately, the ComfyCush sneakers are a breath of fresh air from Vans. Whether you've struggled to find comfort in some of the other models like I have or you've been wearing the brand your whole life, I strongly recommend the trying a pair of ComfyCush Vans. Your feet will thank you.

Shop all ComfyCush sneakers at Zappos, Foot Locker, and Vans now.

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• There's a way to connect your Roku device to a new WiFi network without a remote, though it involves a number of steps and requires two mobile devices.
• The Roku mobile app works well as a replacement remote once your phone and Roku device are once your on the same network.
• Your phone's Mobile Hotspot can stand in for the network saved on your Roku to allow you to connect the device to a new network, but you'll need another mobile device to act as your remote.

Newer Roku models, save for the top-of-the-line Roku Ultra, use WiFi exclusively to connect to a network. This is fine if you have your remote handy when you use the device on a different network (like a hotel). Connecting to a new network without a remote can be tricky, however.

Assuming you know the WiFi network name (SSID) and password saved on the device, you can set up a mobile hotspot on your phone to create a WiFi access point for your Roku, as Reddit user mclassy3 points out.  

You'll need two mobile devices to accomplish the task of connecting and navigating with the Roku app. You will use one to act as the mobile hotspot, and another to use as the remote.

Be sure you have the free Roku mobile app installed on the phone or tablet you plan to use as the remote before you begin. The app is available for Android and iOS devices.

How to connect Roku to WiFi using a mobile hotspot

Before proceeding, note that not all mobile plans include mobile hotspot access. Be sure to check your wireless service plan before using the mobile hotspot option on your smartphone. You may end up paying additional service charges if it's not included on your plan.

Though the below steps are for an Android phone, you'll follow analogous steps for any other phone. 

1. From the Settings menu on your phone, tap "Mobile Hotspot."

2. Tap "Set up Mobile Hotspot" to open the Hotspot menu.

3. You will be prompted to continue to the next menu after seeing a notice about Mobile Data usage. Tap Ok to continue.

4. From the "Set up Mobile Hotspot" menu, add the WiFi network information that is saved on your Roku device. Enter the network name (SSID) and scroll down to enter the password.

5. Save your newly created Mobile Hotspot.

6. Review the settings and connection instructions before tapping Ok to activate the Mobile Hotspot.

How to use your mobile device as a Roku remote

The Roku app can control a Roku device as long as the device and the app are using the same network. Be sure your mobile device is connected to the same network as the Roku (in this case, a mobile hotspot running on a different device).

1. Launch the Roku app.

2. Tap the Remote icon at the bottom of the screen to open the remote.

3. The default remote layout is nearly identical to the hardware remote. Tap the keys as you would on your regular remote.

The app's remote layout can be switched to use swipes instead of button taps. You can switch between the remote layouts by changing settings from the remote settings menu.

How to update WiFi settings on a Roku without a remote

1. Connect a second mobile device to the mobile hotspot, then launch the Roku app.

2. Using the Roku mobile app as a remote, go to the Network settings in your Roku device.

3. Change the network settings to match the new WiFi network you want the Roku to use.

4. Toggle off the Mobile Hotspot on your phone and connect it to the new WiFi network you just used for the Roku.

5. Use the Roku mobile app remote as you would the original hardware remote.

A hardwired connection via ethernet could also be a great alternative here, though you can only use one on a fewolder Roku models.

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech: 

• How to restart your Roku device when it's freezing or running slowly

• How to turn off any Roku device

• How to add channels to your Roku device in three ways

• How to factory reset a Roku device

SEE ALSO: The best streaming sticks and boxes you can buy

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