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51 clever gifts for college students that they'll actually want to receive, according to a recent grad

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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.

allbirds

  • The best gifts for college students can make a big impact on their quality of life, not least of all because they're probably juggling their classes and social lives on a shoe-string budget.
  • Below, I've rounded up 50+ gifts that, as a recent college grad, I'd wager most college students would love to receive.
  • Still looking for gifts for your Class of 2019 grad? We've also put together lists with ideas for college graduation gifts for himfor her, graduation gifts under $100, and plenty more.

If you're looking to make a big difference with a gift, shopping for a college student is a good place to begin. They have classes, internships, second jobs, social lives, and relationships to manage, and they probably have far less money to support themselves than they wish they did.

Useful, thoughtful gifts can make a disproportionate difference in their quality of life, especially when it's something they'll both use frequently and couldn't afford on their own.

As a recent college graduate, I can tell you from experience that the list below is a really good place to start your shopping.

Below are 51 of the best gifts for college students:

SEE ALSO: All of Insider Picks' Class of 2019 gift guides, in one place

An Amazon Echo Dot for hands-free calls, alarms, music, updates on the weather, recipes, and more

Echo Dot (3rd Generation), available on Amazon, $49.99

The Amazon Echo Dot is the most popular Amazon device for a reason — it's compact and has all the capabilities of Alexa (weather updates, recipes, music, news), which is the main reason most people buy an Echo device. The newest version — the third generation — has a speaker that's 70% louder than the second, and comes in a fabric design that better matches home decor. Find an Insider Picks comparison of the Echo devices for fast reference here

 



The world's most comfortable shoes

Wool Runners, Men, available at Allbirds, $95

Wool Runners, Women, available at Allbirds, $95

Startup Allbirds makes wildly popular shoes out of soft, sustainable materials. Their Runners made out of super-soft merino wool have been nicknamed "the world's most comfortable shoes." You can find a full review here



Popular wireless over-ear headphones for quality noise-canceling during studying, traveling, and working out

Beats by Dre Wireless Solo3 Headphones, available at Best Buy and Amazon, $299.95

If there's one thing every college student needs, it's good wireless headphones. They'll use them at the gym, at the library, and commuting to class and internships. This pair has great sound, cushioned ear cups, and 40 hours of battery life so they have one less thing to think about. And if they let the battery run out, a five-minute charge is the equivalent to three hours of play time.

If they like to study in public spaces, you can't go wrong with Bose's pricey but unbeatable QuietComfort II headphones for noise-cancellation. If they're a runner and need something lightweight and in-ear, you should opt for Jaybird RUN



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How to hide messages and message notifications on your iPhone, so only you can read them

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apple ios 11 notifications

  • Text messages (and other notifications) that pop up on your iPhone's screen even when it's locked can be read by anyone within eyesight of your phone, revealing your personal communications.
  • You can configure your iPhone's notifications settings to hide text messages and other notifications until you actively want to view them.
  • There are also ways to hide message chains and new texts coming in from specific phone numbers.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

There are lots of reasons you might want to hide the messages that pop up on your iPhone, especially those notifications that show up when your phone is locked.

Maybe you're planning a surprise for your partner. Maybe your workplace doesn't like you getting personal messages. Or maybe you just don't like the idea of strangers being able to preview your text messages when they pop up on your iPhone.

Whatever the reason you want to hide text, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and other notifications, it only takes a few seconds to do it. And if you want to hide specific text message chains or the texts from a specific sender, that's easy enough, too.

How to hide message notifications on an iPhone

If you don't want messages popping up on your iPhone screen, you can shut the notifications down wholesale or on a case-by-case (app-by-app, e.g) basis.

1. Open the Settings app.

2. Scroll down to and tap "Notifications." This will open a long list of every app on your phone that generates notifications.

IMG_4124.PNG

3. To stop all notifications, tap "Show Previews" at the top of the screen, then select "Never." You can also select "When Unlocked" to only partially limit message displays — you'll only receive notification alerts when your phone is unlocked.

4. To stop notification alerts from specific apps, like your text messages, scroll down on the notifications page and find the app in question, then tap it.

5. Toggle "Allow Notifications" off to stop all of the app's displays from popping up, or unselect the options you'd like just below ("Lock Screen" e.g.).

IMG_4125.PNG

If you turn off all notifications, you will have to specifically open each app to read any messages sent to you, or you will have to open specific apps where you have restricted display options.

You can also only allow notifications to go to your Notification Center, which you can access swiping down from the top of the screen. In this case, alerts won't show unless you go into the Notification Center.

How to hide messages from individual senders

If you don't want to hide all of your notifications but you do want to hide specific text chains, or stop a specific sender's messages from getting through to where they can be seen, there are two different approaches.

To hide message alerts from a specific text message chain:

1. Open the message(s) you don't want displaying as the chain continues.

2. Tap near the top of the screen, by the icon of a face (or the person's picture).

3. On the taskbar that appears, tap the "i" for "info."

IMG_2416

4. Toggle "Hide Alerts" on.

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An alert will no longer display on your screen when a new text from this chain comes in, but you'll still receive the text.

To hide messages from a specific person:

First, make sure you have the person's contact info written somewhere else.

1. Open the contact whose messages you need to hide, then tap "Edit" in the top right corner.

2. Scroll down, and hit "Delete Contact," then tap "Delete Contact" on the popup window to confirm.

3. Open the settings app and scroll down to and tap "Messages."

4. Scroll down and toggle on "Filter Unknown Senders."

IMG_4128

The message sent from the person you removed (or anyone not in your contacts) will now go into a list kept separate from the rest of your messages.

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

SEE ALSO: The best iPhone for every type of person and budget

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: I tried $600 smart glasses and learned why they haven't replaced smartphones yet

Save up to $300 on a Casper mattress — and 7 other sales and deals happening now

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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. This list includes Sponsored Products that have been suggested by ESPN and that also meet our editorial criteria in terms of quality and value.*

We rounded up the eight best sales and deals happening online today, with savings on Casper mattresses and bedding, Reebok sneakers and apparel, and smart home accessories on Amazon. For even more deals and savings across the web, check out Business Insider Coupons.

Casper

1. Save up to $300 on Casper mattresses and bedding

Now through May 13, you can save $100 for every $1,000 you spend (up to $300 in savings) when you use the promo code "SHUTEYE" at checkout. In addition to the brand's award-winning mattresses, the sale can be used to save on sheets, pillows, blankets, bed frames, and more. For more deals and savings at Casper, visit Business Insider Coupons here

Shop the Casper sale now

Reebok

2. Save 30% sitewide at Reebok

Reebok is having the perfect sale for athletic moms — or anyone else who needs sportswear. Now through May 13, you can save 30% sitewide by using the promo code "MOM" at checkout. Between full-price and on-sale items, you can find a great variety of sneakers, apparel, and workout accessories. To potentially save more at Reebok, visit Business Insider Coupons here.

Shop the Reebok sale now

UFC 237

3. Save $5 on the UFC 237 pay-per-view event as an existing ESPN+ user

This Saturday, May 11, UFC 237 will be available for pay-per-view exclusively on ESPN+, and existing subscribers will be able to save $5 on the event. If you're a new subscriber, you can get one year of ESPN+ and access to UFC 237 for just $79.99, which is $30 off the original value. Beyond the UFC, EPSN+ has a large selection of premium sports content and is a convenient way to stay up to date on your favorite teams, players, scores, and more.

*Sponsored by ESPN+

UFC 237 pay-per-view event, $59.99 (Originally $64.99) [You save $5]

ESPN+ and UFC 237, $79.99 (Originally $109.99) [You save $30]

Invicta Watches

4. Save up to 40% on women's watches on Amazon

A nice watch will always be a dependable gift to give for Mother's Day — and Amazon is marking down women's timepieces from top brands as a Deal of the Day. Currently, you can save up to 40% on watches from Invicta, Bulova, Guess, Timex, and Tommy Hilfiger. While the entire selection is Prime-eligible, please note that items may arrive as late as Monday. 

Shop on-sale women's watches on Amazon now

United By Blue

5. Save up to 80% on outdoor apparel at United By Blue

United By Blue is a relatively young outdoors brand that takes its commitment to sustainability very seriously. For every product sold, United By Blue removes one pound of trash from the world's oceans and waterways. Now through May 13, you can save up to 80% on United By Blue apparel including bison-insulated jackets, button-down shirt, boardshorts, sweaters, pants, and more.

Shop the United By Blue sale now

Brooks Brothers

6. Save 25% on two or more full-price women's styles at Brooks Brothers

In celebration of Mother's Day, Brooks Brothers is running a great deal on women's apparel. Now through May 12, you can save 25% when you buy two or more full-price women's styles, including new arrivals. This is a good time to gift your mom a few items she might not have splurged on herself. For other great deals and savings at Brooks Brothers, visit Business Insider Coupons.

Shop the Brooks Brothers sale now.

Groupon

7. Save up to an extra 25% on Groupons for Mother's Day

If you're still thinking about what to do for your mom this Mother's Day, Groupon can help you fill the day with relaxation and fun. Today only you can save an extra 25% on Groupons for massages and facials and an extra 20% on Groupons for dining and activities by using the promo code "SAVE" at checkout. The promo code is good for up to three Groupons, so you can plan to do more than one thing. For more deals and savings on Groupon, visit Business Insider Coupons here

Shop the Groupon sale now

Amazon smart plug

8.Build out your smart home with Alexa-enabled light bulbs and plugs for $10

If you recently bought a new Echo device, one of the best ways to get maximum use out of it is by using it as a smart home hub to control other devices. To help you begin building a network of smart devices, Amazon is offering deals on the LIFX Mini Smart Bulb and the Amazon Smart Plug. Originally priced at $26.99 and $24.99 respectively, you can get one or the other for $10 by using the promo code " SMART10" at checkout. Customers who took advantage of the previous $10 promotion that ended on March 31 are not eligible for this deal.

Buy a mini smart bulb or mini smart plug for $10 on Amazon.

Join the conversation about this story »

How to 'control+alt+delete' on a Mac computer, and force quit unresponsive apps

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bye bye macbook pro

  • If a program on your Mac computer is frozen or overly sluggish, you can use a shortcut similar to the PC's "control+alt+delete" function to shut it down.
  • Force quitting a program will sacrifice any unsaved changes you've made, so do it with care.
  • There are three different ways to force quit on a Mac, and each of them should work to get you out of the troublesome program.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Sometimes in life, you just have to cut your losses and call it quits. This is certainly the case when your Mac is giving you trouble with a program that's either frozen, or running so slowly that you just can't take it anymore. Rather than sitting there glaring at that rainbow colored "spinning wheel of death," instead just use a force quit override to shut down the program. Then you can restart it and, ideally, get some actual work done.

Just remember that when you force quit a program on Mac, you may lose any material you have produced since the last time you saved your work. Sometimes an autosave function will come to the rescue, and you can opt to have websites reopen if you have to quit your browser, but force quitting often means losing some work, so use it only as a last resort.

While PC users have the famous "control+alt+delete" combo, Mac users have an equally potent way to take the control back from the computer. Here are the three ways to force quit on a Mac.

How to force quit applications on a Mac in three ways

Force quitting through the menu bar

1. Click on the Apple logo at the top left corner of the screen.

2. In the dropdown menu that appears, hit "Force quit..."

Screen Shot 2019 05 10 at 9.29.14 AM

3. In the popup window, select the offending program and hit "Force quit."

Force quitting with a keypress combination

1. Simultaneously press the "command," "option," and "escape" keys. Note that the option key is also sometimes referred to as "alt," and that the escape key just reads "esc."

2. The same force quit window will pop up, and you can select which program you want to force quit.

Screen Shot 2019 05 10 at 9.29.35 AM

Force quitting through the dock

1. In your dock, right click on the program you want to close's icon.

2. A menu should pop up with "Force quit" as an option; click it to force quit, and the program should shut down.

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

SEE ALSO: How to take a screenshot on your Mac computer

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Watch Google's I/O 2019 event in 7 minutes

I tried a $250 kitchen appliance that combines the best functions of an Instant Pot with an air fryer — and it actually worked well

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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.

ninja foodi main

  • A new kitchen appliance from Ninja contains all the functions you could ever want from a multi-cooker, including two methods home cooks love the most today: pressure cooking and air frying. 
  • The Ninja Foodi (currently $249.99 on Amazon) is like an Instant Pot and air fryer in one, but ultimately takes up less space than if you owned both, and performs each of its many functions very well.
  • It's a versatile, efficient, and easy-to-use appliance that makes sense for anyone who is interested in the diverse and delicious results of pressure cooking and air frying, but only wants to buy one device. 

Two kitchen appliances that have captivated home cooks, topped wish lists, and generated a plethora of recipes and recipe books in the last couple years are the Instant Pot and the air fryer. Both fulfill our needs for efficiency and versatility: the Instant Pot cranking out flavorful stews, soups, rice and pasta dishes, and desserts in less than an hour, and the air fryer producing crunchy, healthier versions of your favorite fried foods. 

These appliances each command their own spheres and strengths, but if you want to own both, you should be prepared to clear out some serious cabinet or counter space. Before you pit your many other cooking appliances against each other in a dramatic island vote to make room for both a pressure cooker and an air fryer, you should keep reading because kitchenware brand Ninja has combined these disparate devices into a powerful and convenient all-in-one solution, the Foodi.

It's a pressure cooker that also air fries, so if you want an appliance that can truly do it all, the Foodi is the one to get.

ninja foodi

When I first received a sample of the Foodi, I'll admit I was a little intimidated. It's larger than the Instant Pot (though ultimately takes up less space than two appliances together) and comes with a pressure lid, crisping basket, reversible rack, and a control panel teeming with functions. However, it doesn't take long to familiarize yourself with it and start cooking. For an appliance of its wide-ranging capabilities, the Foodi is surprisingly easy to use and doesn't skimp on effectiveness in squeezing in its long list of functions. 

Here's that list of what the Foodi can do: 

  • Pressure cook
  • Steam
  • Slow cook
  • Sear/saute
  • Air crisp
  • Bake/roast
  • Broil
  • Dehydrate 

If you've never pressure-cooked, Ninja suggests a short trial run with a pot of water to see how it's done and loosen any nerves about using it. As safety measures, the lid of the Foodi will never unlock until pressure is fully released, and there are labels inside the cooking pot to mark the maximum point to where you can add ingredients. 

The product package includes a small recipe book, but for my tests I chose to freestyle them and look at general cooking times as suggested by people on the internet, which turned out to work just as well. Regardless of how you use the Foodi, the basic steps are the same: place your ingredients in the pot, in the crisping basket, or on the rack; choose your cooking function; adjust the temperature and timer using the arrow buttons; and press "Start." 

ninja foodi saute

Cooking with the Foodi is pretty much fool-proof, whether you want to make a savory pork tenderloin that falls apart with a poke of your fork, or sweet potato fries that are crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. I loved that I had dinner on my table within half an hour of coming home, and during that half hour I could busy myself with other tasks instead of watching my food.

For air frying in particular, its TenderCrisp technology came in handy because I could tenderize and ensure ingredients were fully cooked before finishing them off in the crisping basket for an even cook. Whatever I wanted to make, entree or dessert, with fresh or frozen ingredients, I could enlist one or more of the Foodi's functions. 

One-pot cooking also thankfully means one-pot cleaning, and the ceramic, non-stick pot washes clean in a few short minutes, even after having just housed a complex meal that generated oils and residue galore. 

The Foodi costs $250, so its price isn't necessarily better than the combined cost of an Instant Pot and air fryer, but its other benefits certainly outweigh the hassle of buying, storing, and mastering two separate appliances. With the reliable and user-friendly Foodi, you can do all your cooking in one place, from pressure and slow cooking to air frying and roasting. 

Shop the Ninja Foodi for $249.99 at Amazon here

Join the conversation about this story »

Here's who's getting rich on Uber's massive IPO (UBER)

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uber ipo CEO Dara Khosrowshahi

  • Uber just had one of biggest tech initial public offerings of all time, even though its stock price fell on opening day.
  • Its paperwork filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission gave us a glimpse at who its biggest shareholders are.
  • These are the people that stand to gain the most if Uber's entrance as a public company is well received by investors, and the shareprice remains high at the six month mark, when they will be free to sell their shares

Uber is now a public company. The paperwork it filed for its giant initial public offering (IPO) also reveals who the biggest shareholders are.

And with that knowledge — plus a little digging on Pitchbook, a database that tracks financial-deal details — we know which people and investors will score the biggest on Uber's stock, should its share price rise in six months. That's when these existing owners will be free to start selling their stakes on the public market. (They are subject to a 180-day lock up period.)

The opening day share price has been a disappointment. Uber's board was clearly hoping that the company would command a high stock price, valuing the company at $120 billion or more. It agreed to bonus its CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, $100 million or more in stock if the company hit that valuation and kept it for three months straight.

But Uber prices its initial shares at $45, a valuation of $75.5 billion. That's still enormous and yet retail investors didn't want to bite at that price. Shares opened $42 and have slowly inched back to the $43 and $44 range.

So, for the sake of calculating how much the stake of each of the major shareholders is worth, we are using a $43 share price.

SEE ALSO: The takedown of Travis Kalanick — The untold story of Uber's infighting, backstabbing, and multimillion-dollar exit packages

SoftBank — $9.3 billion

SoftBank drove a hard bargain when it picked up a 16% stake in Uber, buying shares from other stockholders at about $33 a share.

SoftBank's billionaire CEO Masayoshi Son capitalized on Uber's boardroom troubles a couple of years ago and the infighting on the board to grab a big chunk of the company for his investment company, the SoftBank Vision Fund, at what he hopes will prove to be a bargain price.

SoftBank Vision Fund, through an entity called SB Cayman 2 Ltd., owns nearly 217 million shares, or 13% of the company. It sold nearly 5.5 million shares in the IPO, presumably at $45 for more than $245 million.

Its remaining stake, at $43 a share is worth $9.3 billion.



Benchmark Capital — $6.2 billion

The A-list venture capital firm Benchmark Capital, under partner Bill Gurley, led Uber's $11 million series A funding round back in 2011, and invested in later rounds. The $12 million Benchmark invested over time became valued at as high as $7 billion, records from its lawsuits with Uber revealed.

Benchmark sold about 14.5% of its stake to SoftBank when SoftBank bought in, but it also held on to a considerable stake. It still owns more than 144 million shares, or 8% of the company.

As Business Insider previously reported, Gurley was one cofounder Travis Kalanick's earliest advisers and then became one of the ringleaders who ousted Kalanick.

After that, Gurley resigned from the board, and Matt Cohler took his place. Cohler remains on the board today.

Benchmark sold nearly 5.8 million shares at the IPO. At $45, that would have brought in nearly $259 million. At $43 a share, its remaining stake is worth $6.2 billion.



Travis Kalanick - $5 billion

Travis Kalanick's rise and fall as Uber's founder and CEO has been well documented. He left the CEO job in summer 2017 (and launched a new company) and sold off a sizeable chunk of his stake to Softbank at that time. That sale put $1.4 billion in his pocket, and it represented only 30% of his stake.

He's still the largest individual Uber shareholder. He owns nearly 114 million shares, or about 7% of the company. He sold $3.7 million shares in the IPO presumably at the $45 share price, which, at that price, would have brought in $168 million.

At $43 a share, his remaining stake is worth more than $5 billion.

 

 

 

 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Uber just went public. Here's what 12 of its earliest employees are doing now, from the former intern who's now a powerful exec to the ousted former CEO who's worth $5.4 billion

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travis kalanick uber

In 2009, a tiny startup called UberCab was founded; today, it's just called Uber, and it's one of Silicon Valley's most successful companies. Uber operates in more than 700 cities worldwide.

Now, Uber is going public in one of the biggest IPOs of all time with an initial market cap of $75.5 billion.Trading opened at $42 per share. Some of Uber's first investors could make up to $1.3 billion in total from the IPO, according to Bloomberg.

Read more: Uber is sliding after its IPO, and Main Street traders who struggled to invest dodged a bullet

Many of Uber's earliest employees still work at Uber, including former intern Austin Geidt, who's now the Head of Strategy for the company's Advanced Technologies Group and rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on the day of Uber's IPO.

Others have left to pursue other startups and related ventures. At least three of the company's early employees — former CEO Travis Kalanick, Ryan Graves, and Garrett Camp — are now billionaires.

Here's what 12 of Uber's earliest employees are doing now.

SEE ALSO: Here's who's getting rich on Uber's massive IPO

DON'T MISS: Uber's first employee is poised to make over $1 billion in the company’s massive public offering, and he’s already committed to donating at least $14 million to charity

Oscar Salazar

Employed by Uber from: 2009 to 2011

Former position at Uber: Founding Member

Where he is now: Although there's some dispute about it, early Uber documentation refers to Salazar as a cofounder of the company. He and cofounder Garrett Camp attended business school together, then built Uber's first prototype with another school friend, Conrad Whelan.

Salazar departed the company amicably soon after it launched. Besides being an active investor in companies like Egyptian motorcycle and tuk-tuk ride-hailing startup Halan, he has launched other companies like Pager, which sends a doctor or nurse to you with a tap of your phone, and Ride, a carpooling app for commuters.

More recently, he launched Ogon LLC, an advisory firm to companies like Rubicon Global Inc., ALEX AND ANI, and Sontra Cargo.

Salazar has a roughly $250 million stake in Uber and is expected to sell about $10 million  worth of shares, Bloomberg reported in April.



Curtis Chambers

Employed by Uber from: 2010 to 2017

Former position at Uber: Director of Engineering

Where he is now: Before Uber, Chambers helped build Expensify, the popular online expense-reports startup, as well as contributing to open-source Drupal and Django. As Uber's seventh employee, Chambers worked on UberEATS and later became the director of engineering for Uber's trucking operation, the position he held when he left the company in 2017.

On both Twitter and LinkedIn, Chambers now describes himself as a "Professional Dad."

 



Austin Geidt

Employed by Uber from: 2010 to present

Position at Uber: Head of Strategy for Uber's Advanced Technologies Group

Where she is now: Geidt started at Uber as an "overdressed" intern and employee number four; she says she struggled for the first months. At first, her job wasn't well defined and saw her moving from handing out flyers to passersby to cold-calling drivers.

In the past, she has also been open about her history with drug addiction and recovery.

Geidt has moved up as Uber has grown. Since 2016, she's been the head of strategy for Uber's Advanced Technologies Group, which deals with self-driving technology.

On May 10, 2019, the day of Uber's IPO, Geidt was one the one to ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

21 affordable housewarming gifts that won't cost you more than $50

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Insider Pickswrites 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.

candles rattan 5_8107f329 d198 417c 9d94 7acf821558f6

  • Housewarming gifts aren't always necessary, but they're a nice gesture. 
  • If you want to celebrate a friend's big move but don't want to spend a lot of money, we've got you covered.
  • Below you'll find 21 housewarming gifts all under $50, so you don't show up empty-handed.

Maybe you just graduated college and you're off to start your next chapter in a new place. You're not alone — you have plenty of friends in the same position. Your calendar is probably already bursting with potluck dinners and housewarming parties. 

Perhaps you're a real-life adult with friends who are buying their first homes or moving into bigger apartments. Watching them settle into their new places is a joy. And, while housewarming gifts aren't always necessary, they're a nice way to celebrate your friend's big move.

If you don't want to spend a lot of money on a housewarming gift, but don't want to show up empty-handed, we've got you covered.

Keep reading for 21 thoughtful housewarming gifts that won't cost you more than $50:

A set of nice coasters to protect their new furniture

Clouded Agate Coasters (set of 4), available at West Elm, $39

A new apartment probably means new furniture. And you know what nobody wants on their new table? Water rings. Help them preemptively protect their new surfaces with these agate coasters that are as practical as they are pretty. 



A hand-poured candle that's equal parts beautiful and giftable

Otherland Rattan Sandalwood, Amber, and Moss candle, available at Otherland, $36

Help bring relaxing energy into their new home with this hand-poured candle made from soy and coconut wax. With a burn time of 55 hours, their new place will always smell like sandalwood, amber, and moss.



A mini tool kit for any apartment mishaps

Fix it Kit, available at Uncommon Goods, $30

Even if they don't know how to use a hammer or a slot screwdriver, it doesn't mean they won't need one. Prep them for furniture building, artwork hanging, and any apartment mishaps that they might encounter along the way with this small tool kit filled with the basics. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The woman who rang Uber's IPO bell is Austin Geidt, whose life is the stuff of Valley legend (UBER)

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Uber bell Austin Geidt

  • Uber went public on Friday in one of the largest initial public offerings in history.
  • There was some controversy over who got to ring the bell.
  • In the end, the honor didn't go to the current CEO or the former one. It went to a woman named Austin Geidt, Uber's fourth employee.
  • Her life is the stuff of Silicon Valley legend.

Uber went public on Friday in one of the largest initial public offerings in history.

Travis Kalanick, its founder, former CEO, board member, and largest shareholder, who was forced out a couple of years ago, was told he couldn't stand on the New York Stock Exchange opening bell dais, much less ring it. (He was there on the floor in the crowd with his dad though and was greeted with applause when he walked in.)

Uber Austin GeidtBut Uber's current CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, didn't ring the bell either.

That honor went to Austin Geidt, Uber's fourth employee.

Her career story is the stuff of Silicon Valley legend.

In 2010, she saw some tweets about a startup looking for an intern. That startup was Uber.

The economy was still rocky in the aftermath of the 2008-09 financial collapse. Jobs — even internships — were hard to get, and her résumé was "blank," she told the audience at Fortune's Most Powerful Women Next Gen Summit in 2015, when she was 30 years old.

Read more: Here's who's getting rich on Uber's massive IPO

She reached out to Uber's CEO at the time, Ryan Graves, who told her to put together a presentation about herself. Having struck out so many times, she went all in, loading her slide deck with humor and pleading with him to give her a shot.

Austin Geidt uber

And she became employee No. 4. As an intern, she did everything from cold-calling prospective drivers to handling support calls.

Within five years, Uber was everywhere, one of the most important new companies the Valley produced. And she was one of the company's most powerful executives. She ran the team that expanded Uber into new international markets. Her role at the company has since grown to include head of operations at Uber's self-driving-car unit, the Advanced Technologies Group.

Even four years ago, when Uber raised another $2.1 billion and hit a valuation of $62.5 billion, her stock options had made her a very wealthy woman.

Because she's not a named officer, the company doesn't have to reveal how much stock she owns, so we don't know how many millions she made on Uber's massive IPO.

But it was a surprisingly painful journey to get here, she has revealed.

When she was 19 and in college, she had a drug problem, she said.

"I had a drug addiction. I got sober. I'm 10 years sober," she said in 2015. "I was in a really dark place."

She said that "it was a moment of stepping back with my family" and realizing "I don't like who I am — I just kind of physically, spiritually, emotionally was just really sick."

austin geidt and ryan gravesShe went to rehab, but it really took her a few years to heal. She left school during that time and returned, sober and 25, to graduate.

But she "was so insecure about feeling behind," she said, adding, "I was a sober, 25-year-old senior, which was a very different experience."

It seems as if a high-pressure job at a Silicon Valley startup, especially one as watched as Uber, would be a dangerous amount of stress for someone newly healed from addiction.

But the opposite is true, Geidt said. Though she loves the job and the company — "I live and breathe Uber," she said — the rehab experience keeps her grounded and gave her management skills.

It taught her to be honest and direct, to turn feelings of being overwhelmed into small, manageable steps, to have a "sense of humility" rather than "feeling self-important," she said.

But ultimately, it keeps her focused on the important stuff in life.

"I'm so proud of the work my team has done at Uber and of the work I've done at Uber. But it's not the proudest thing I've done, right? I'm more proud of being sober," she said. "I just have perspective."

Here's the full interview from 2015:

SEE ALSO: We took a real résumé from a laid-off tech worker and turned it into something fantastic

DON'T MISS: How Uber CEO Travis Kalanick helped save his girlfriend's life

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49 of the biggest scandals in Uber's history

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uber ipo cofounder travis kalanick

  • Uber went public on Friday, May 10, in one of the biggest IPOs ever, but news hasn't always been so rosy for the company.
  • Over the years, Uber has been plagued by a long list of scandals, ranging from reports of sexual harassment to aggressive strategies to take down the competition. 
  • Here's a look back at the biggest scandals that have rocked the company over the last decade. 
  • Read more stories like this on the Business Insider homepage.

Uber went public on Friday, May 10, in one of the biggest IPOs in history. The major move paints a rosy picture for the company but over the years a series of scandals helped define the thriving organization's legacy as one mired in scandal.

Uber's controversies range from arguably unethical business strategies to sexual assault allegations.

Here's a look back at the scandals the came before Uber went public at an initial market cap of $75.5 billion.

Biz Carson, Julie Bort, and Graham Rapier contributed reporting to this story. 

SEE ALSO: How Uber reportedly tried to keep the lid on the data breach that affected 57 million people

October 2010: UberCab receives its first cease and desist

According to New York Magazine's extensive list of Uber's ups and downs, the company's first scandal came before the startup changed its name from UberCab to Uber. Four months after launching in San Francisco, the San Francisco Metro Transit Authority & the Public Utilities Commission of California issued a cease and desist order. 

UberCab changed its name to Uber. Six years later, San Francisco would have roughly 45,000 Uber drivers, compared to just 2,026 licensed taxis. 



January 2012: Uber gets slammed in its first major surge pricing backlash

Uber told customers that prices would increase due to increased demand on New Years Eve. However, people were still furious when they were forced to pay three to six-times the normal amount to get a ride. 



November 2012: Prices soar during Hurricane Sandy

With most public transportation down in New York City, Ubers were in high demand, leading to prices doubling. After being accused to price gouging, the company made prices revert back to normal, while continuing to pay drivers two times the rate. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The rise and fall of Victoria's Secret, America's most famous lingerie retailer (LB)

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Victoria's Secret

You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone in the US who hasn't come into contact with Victoria's Secret in one way or another.

Since the late 1990s, Victoria's Secret has been one of the best-known and most talked-about brands in the country — increasingly, not in ways that it might hope for. 

It has had a powerful role in defining what sexy is in the modern day via its racy lingerie and runway shows. In its heyday, these enabled the company to achieve blockbuster sales and reach global status.

But increasingly, the tide seems to be turning. Sales have slipped, customers are complaining that quality has dropped, and analysts are becoming more skeptical about its future if it refuses to adapt in an era of #MeToo.

Now, it's "rethinking" its iconic annual fashion show, CNBC reported on Friday.

Find out more about how the company achieved success —and stumbled more recently — below:

SEE ALSO: A company that's taking on Victoria's Secret with $35 bras is homing in on its biggest weakness

Victoria's Secret was founded in 1977 by American businessman Roy Raymond.

Inspired by an uncomfortable trip to a department store to buy underwear for his wife, Raymond set out to create a place where men would feel comfortable shopping for lingerie. He wanted to create a women's underwear shop that was targeted at men.  



He named the brand after the Victorian era in England, wanting to evoke the refinement of this period in his lingerie.

His vision was summed up by Slate's Naomi Barr in 2013: "Raymond imagined a Victorian boudoir, replete with dark wood, oriental rugs, and silk drapery. He chose the name 'Victoria' to evoke the propriety and respectability associated with the Victorian era; outwardly refined, Victoria's 'secrets' were hidden beneath."

He went on to open a handful of Victoria's Secret stores and launched its famous catalog. 



By 1982, the company was making more than $4 million in annual sales, but according to reports, it was nearing bankruptcy at the time. It was at this point that Les Wexner swooped in.

Source: Slate

Wexner, who founded L Brands (formerly Limited Brands) was already making a name for himself in the retail world as he gradually built up an impressive empire.

By June 1982, The Limited — which had previously acquired Express and Lane Bryant — was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. One month later, under Wexner's leadership, the company acquired Victoria's Secret's six stores and its catalog for $1 million. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

This party-supplies company saves you time with curated decorations for Memorial Day, grad parties, and more

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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.

Coterie Party Supplies

  • Throwing a party can be complicated, but the party experts at Coterie have made it easier with themed decorations and party supply packages starting at $49.
  • Each set can be customized based on the number of people in attendance (up to 50), and come in two different types — "Essentials" and "Luxe" — based on your party needs. If you don't need every item in a set, you can purchase them individually, or build your own party set which Coterie can help you create. 
  • With Memorial Day and all sorts of grad parties around the corner, it's the perfect time to give Coterie a try. 

Attending a summer barbecue, birthday bash, or holiday party is a blast. Throwing said party? Not so much.

There are so many things you need to worry about like the food, drinks, seating, guest list, and I haven't even gotten to the nitty-gritty details like decorations, plates, cutlery, or napkins. It's a lot for one person to manage. Wouldn't it be nice if you didn't have to send that shameful day-of text: "Can someone pick up cups? I forgot them."

Well, the founders of Coterie understand that throwing a party should be joyful, not stressful, so it's taking on the pressure of decorating your party to the nines with curated and themed party supplies. With Memorial Day right around the corner, it'd be the perfect time to check out the brand.

What is Coterie?

Coterie provides its customers with high-quality decorations and supplies from napkins to balloons so that looks like you spent weeks planning when it only took you five minutes. Basically, this company puts the art back in party.

Coterie works with a group of artists, designers, and creatives to produce themed decorations that are fresh and essential to any gathering. You'll be able to focus more on your guests and less on the last-minute planning, because isn't the point of a party to celebrate with people you love?

Coterie Party Supplies

Coterie offers pre-packaged party sets for specific occasions like birthdays, bridal and baby showers, graduations, and holiday barbecues like Memorial Day. Each set can be customized based on the number of people in attendance ranging from 10 to 50 (in increments of 10). If you're throwing a large event (around 500 people), Coterie offers bulk discounts if you contact its team.

Each set comes in "Essentials" and "Luxe" packages. Both packages come with the basics like plates, cups, napkins, cutlery, and some themed decorations, but the Luxe package includes environmentally-friendly straws and some glam bonus decorations like photo booth decor. Party sets range from $49 to $65 for smaller parties and can vary based on the number of guests and package type you choose.

If you don't need a full set, most items are available for individual sale so you can decide exactly what party supplies you need. Additionally, if you don't see the party set you like, you can build your own themed set from scratch so it fits your style exactly.

How to build your own party set

When you choose to build your own party set, Coterie walks you through the party planning process but you call the shots. It guides you through various color patterns that go well together so you can decide exactly what your party will look like.

All you have to do is give the brand a little bit of background information like the occasion, vibe, and how many guests will be expected. Then, it'll start suggesting supplies and decorations for your party that are custom to each selection you make.

Giving back to the community 

Coterie also recently partnered with the Confetti Foundation whose mission is to celebrate birthdays and milestones for children at pediatric hospitals and facilities. The Confetti Foundation has currently delivered almost 6,000 party packages to 210 hospitals across the United States.

Coterie has pledged to provide supplies and decoration services once a month at a children's hospital, and on the day of the party, will also donate 20% of its website sales to help fund the Confetti Foundation's mission. The brand will also designate one item on its website as a "Party for Good Item" in which 100% of the profits earned from that item will be donated to the Confetti Foundation as well.

Shop Coterie party supplies and decorations here.

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How to avoid tolls on Google Maps and save yourself money on your next road trip

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  • Google Maps is a robust GPS tool with several useful features, including maps that allow you to avoid tolls during your trip, and potentially save yourself money in the process.
  • The steps to avoid tolls on Google Maps are slightly different for the mobile app, compared to the desktop version.
  • For most, the mobile version will be the most convenient option, since it doesn't require a printer or other workarounds; but those heading into areas with poor internet connections, or a weak phone battery, might prefer to access their directions via desktop.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Google Maps is chock full of useful features: You can set work and home addresses for easy navigation to and from those locations, the directions can warn you about upcoming turns and freeway exits — and you can even avoid tolls, if you know how to turn on that feature.

Here's how to do so on either the mobile app or on the desktop version of Google Maps:

How to use the "avoid tolls" feature on the Google Maps mobile app

Avoiding tolls on Google Maps' mobile app is easy to accomplish. Here's what you need to do:

1. Open your Google Maps mobile app.

2. Input your destination into the search bar and search for it.

3. Tap "Directions."

SCREENSHOT AVOID TOLLS GOOGLE MAPS 2

4. Tap the three vertical dots next to "Your Location" (located at the top of the screen), then tap "Route Options."

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5. Tick the box next to "Avoid tolls" — you can also choose to avoid highways and ferries from this screen.

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6. Tap "Done" and then the blue "Start" button (located in the bottom left corner of the screen) when you're ready to go.

Depending on your usual settings, you may also have to toggle over to the correct transportation mode (car versus walking, for example).

How to use the "avoid tolls" feature on the desktop version of Google Maps

Avoiding tolls via the desktop version of Google Maps is fairly similar to the process on the mobile app, with a few small changes:

1. Go to maps.google.com.

2. Type your destination into the search bar at the top left corner of your screen.

3. Click "Directions" and then input your starting point — as you type, options will autofill below the search bar, when the right one pops up, click on it (or, if you've added your address as a preset, like work or home, simply select that option).

SCREENSHOT AVOID TOLLS GOOGLE MAPS 5

4. Click "Options," located just below the starting point and destination information in the left sidebar.

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5. Under the section labeled, "Avoid," tick the box next to "Tolls" — your new route will be generated.

SCREENSHOT AVOID TOLLS GOOGLE MAPS 8

The tactile nature of printed directions can provide peace of mind when navigating through new areas, but as long as you have enough battery power to keep your phone alive during your trip, you might consider checking out another useful feature for the popular GPS tool: Google Maps offline. That way, heading to more remote areas won't be an issue, and you won't have to waste ink (or buy a printer) to accommodate your needs.

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

SEE ALSO: How to turn off or limit Google Assistant on your Android device, if you don't want it listening to you all of the time

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: I tried the $1,980 Samsung Galaxy Fold and it's impressive for a first-generation foldable phone, though far from perfect

This startup is using its expertise in activewear to make a lightweight, stretchy, and comfortable performance dress shirt — and it’s worth the $118 price tag

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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.

Rhone

  • Popular men's activewear brand Rhone is now making performance dress shirts.
  • The Rhone Commuter Dress shirt features a lightweight, breathable, four-way stretch material that resists wrinkles, wicks moisture, and dries quickly. It's also machine washable, so you'll never have to dry clean it.
  • The dress shirt is just as comfortable and stretchy as some of my favorite Rhone T-shirts. While I don't have a reason to, I'm positive that I could complete my workouts just as easily in the Commuter Dress Shirt.
  • Priced at $118, Rhone Commuter Dress Shirt is a pretty solid value.

Sticking to a formal or even a semi-formal dress code every day of the week is a task in and of itself. Spending an abundance of time ironing dress shirts only for them to get wrinkled before arriving at work, having to spend hours of the day trying to ignore a constricting fit and egregious pit stains, and always having a bill at the dry cleaner are just some of the everyday struggles some of us deal with.

While men of yesteryear (and those who have yet to see the light) had no choice but to simply deal with it, modern performance dress shirts have helped alleviate or resolve some of those issues. The premise is simple: by using a lighter, stretchier material, you can make a more comfortable, wrinkle-resistant shirt — and scores of brands have come out with their own versions using that basic formula.

But Rhone, a men's activewear brand, is using its experience with sportswear to make a new performance dress shirt that exceeds most options on the market in terms of quality and value. The Rhone Commuter Dress Shirt features a lightweight and breathable four-way stretch fabric from Italy that naturally resists wrinkles, wicks moisture, and dries quickly. 

Rhone Commuter Dress Shirt

What it's like to wear

I regularly wear Rhone's workout clothes to the gym because its activewear has those same properties, so I had to try the new dress shirt as both a service to you and part of my own personal quest for comfort. The shirt came cleverly packaged in a garment bag with a note saying "This is the last time you'll see this dress shirt in a dry cleaner's bag."

So, I accepted the challenge. I immediately took it out of the packaging, balled it up, and stuffed it in my backpack. The next morning, I took it out of my bag and it passed the wrinkle-free test. It came out completely ready to wear and I'm usually very particular about ironing out creases even if shirts have non-iron or wrinkle-resistant labels.

My first impression when putting it on was that the overall feel is strikingly similar to my favorite T-shirts from the company. While comparing a $118 Italian dress shirt to any T-shirt might sound like a bad thing, it's a major compliment in terms of comfort. Among the various performance dress shirts I've worn, Rhone's is definitely one of the stretchiest. I'm positive that I could complete all of my usual workouts in the Commuter Dress Shirt, although I don't have a real reason to try. However, it kept me cool, dry, and comfortable during my long commute to New York City and throughout the entire day.

Rhone Commuter Dress Shirt

The bottom line

Another thing that makes this dress shirt impressive is the price. At $118, its cheaper than a handful of our favorite performance dress shirts, and, in my opinion, it's a better-performing shirt. After all, Rhone had been making activewear long before venturing into workwear styles like this.

Let's be clear: $118 is still a lot of money for a dress shirt, but if you need to wear a clean and crisp dress shirt every day of the week — not just once in a blue moon — then it's absolutely worth the money. You'll save yourself the from the headache of ironing shirts or taking constant trips to the cleaners and you'll be comfortable all the time.

Right now, Rhone only offers the Commuter Dress Shirt in two styles (blue stripes and blue micro check), but I'll be adding more to my closet as soon as more colors are released.

Rhone Commuter Dress Shirt, $118, available in two colors

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How to cancel HBO or any other premium channel subscription on your Amazon Prime account

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Amazon Prime

Premium channel subscriptions are available as add-ons for Amazon Prime members and can be managed easily from a single dashboard.

You can also update your payment method and subscribe to more channels from that same dashboard.

Here's how to cancel any premium subscription in your Amazon account:

How to cancel premium channel subscriptions on Amazon Prime

1. Login to your Amazon account and navigate to the Your Account section.

2. From the Your Account section, click Prime Video Channels under Memberships and subscriptions.

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3. Scroll down to your Prime Video Channels. Click Cancel Channelnext to the channel you wish to cancel. Confirm your choice when prompted.

Manage_Prime_Video_Channels

More tips on Amazon Prime Video channels

  • Premium channels are only available through the main account used to purchase Amazon Prime. Subscribed channels aren't available through shared accounts or through Amazon Household accounts. You must use the main account to access Amazon Prime Video content, including premium channels, on devices.
  • Cancelling an Amazon Prime Video Channel does not cancel your Amazon Prime membership. You can access your Amazon Prime membership settings to review, update your payment method, or cancel your membership.
  • If you cancel your Amazon Prime service, your premium channel subscriptions are also cancelled. You won't be billed for a channel subscription once your Amazon Prime service has been cancelled.
  • Channel subscriptions are billed monthly and are non-refundable. Cancelling a channel does not initiate a refund in your account. You can, however, continue accessing the channel until the channel's end date.
  • If you end up with multiple subscriptions to the same channel, you may be able to modify or cancel. Click Change Plan or contact customer support to see if your subscription(s) qualify.

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

SEE ALSO: 'What is Amazon Fire TV?': Everything you need to know about Amazon's media streaming devices

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NOW WATCH: This startup turns 100 non-recyclable plastic bags into a high-end Bluetooth speaker


Here are the 15 cars people love to drive for a long time — and they're all from Toyota, Honda, and Subaru

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Toyota Tacoma

America has an extensive and long-lasting love affair with the automobile. There are some cars out there that people just wanted to hang on to for a long time. 

That's why the folks at iSeeCars.com recently released a study showing which cars people are most likely to own for more than 15 years. 

"Vehicles that are kept for so many years show that they can stand the test of time and likely don't have to frequently undergo expensive repairs," Phong Ly, iSeeCars's CEO, said in a statement. "Those looking for a reliable and enduring car have a variety of options across all vehicle types."

And the results are overwhelming. People really like their Japanese cars and, more specifically, Toyotas.

Of the 15 cars people are most likely to keep for at least 15 years, 10 are Toyotas, four are made by Honda/Acura, and one is from Subaru. 

Read more: We drove a $39,000 Toyota RAV4 and a $32,000 Subaru Forester to see which one is the better compact SUV. Here's the verdict.

That means all 15 models on the list are made by Japanese automakers. 

"Japanese vehicles are known for their quality and reliability, which is reaffirmed by the results of this list," Ly said.

On average, 7.5% of owners held on to their cars for more than 15 years. A handful of Honda/Acura and Toyota models managed to double that figure.

Read more: We drove a $23,000 Volkswagen Jetta to see if it's ready to battle Honda and Toyota. Here's the verdict.

For the study, the automotive research firm looked at more than 750,000 cars, trucks, and SUVs from the model years 1981 to 2003. The firm analyzed sales of these used vehicles between January and December 2018 to see the percentage of sales by the original owner. 

Models with limited sample size, heavy-duty trucks, work vans, and those no longer in production were excluded from the study. 

The results of the study are expressed in the percentage of original owners who kept their vehicles for at least 15 years. 

SEE ALSO: We drove a $40,000 Mazda CX-5 Turbo to see if it's the perfect compact SUV. Here's the verdict.

FOLLOW US: On Facebook for more car and transportation content!

15. Toyota Avalon: 10.8% of original owners kept the cars for more than 15 years.



14. Toyota 4Runner: 11.2%



13. Acura MDX: 11.4%



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

6 skin-care products with SPF that make everyday skin protection simple

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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.

coola

  • If you ask any of the experts, putting on sunscreen is one of the best things you can do for your skin.
  • Not only does daily SPF help prevent more serious forms of sun damage like skin cancer, but it can also prevent wrinkles and fine lines.
  • You can easily add more SPF to your skin-care routine without using the regular, heavy-duty sunscreen you might need at the beach during the summer.
  • We gathered six great skin-care products that help you add SPF into your daily routine with ease.
  • Read more: 23 skin-care products with near-perfect Amazon reviews

When it comes to skin care, there's always a new trend or product promising to solve your woes. But when you ask the experts they all have the same very important tip — wear sunscreen! Protecting your skin with SPF is the ultimate trick in wrinkle prevention, as well as for preventing the more serious side effects from sun damage.

You should be wearing sunscreen every day, not just in the heat of summer. Any time you go outside, you put yourself at risk of damage from sun exposure. And, even though you may not be getting a sunburn in January, your skin still is still left to deal with the effects of those UV rays. Don't worry though — you don't need to lather on Banana Boat in the dead of winter to get your daily dose of SPF. Plenty of skin-care products have SPF built right in, so you can seamlessly incorporate sunscreen into your morning routine. 

Keep reading for six great skin-care products that make everyday skin protection simple:

SEE ALSO: This $11 clay mask that has over 11,000 5-star reviews on Amazon is the only thing that has helped clear up my skin

A dermatologist-recommended tinted sunscreen

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Tinted Mineral Primer with SPF 50, available at Amazon, $39.99

If you only have time to put one thing on your face in the morning, make it this face primer. Not only does this correcting primer blur wrinkles and fine lines, it's also tinted for some light coverage and boasts broad-spectrum SPF 50. Dermatologists love the brand's sunscreens because they're non-comedogenic, so they won't clog your pores — they'll just protect them.



An SPF moisturizer for sensitive skin

Simple Kind to Skin Hydrating Moisturizer with SPF 15, available at Jet.com, $10.99

If you worry that sunscreen will make your sensitive skin break out, try this light moisturizer from Simple. Their products are made without harsh chemicals, artificial perfumes, or dyes, so your risk of having an adverse reaction is greatly lowered. This particular moisturizer has SPF 15 added for extra protection from UVA/UVB rays without the greasy feeling that accompanies many sunscreens  — meaning you can feel good about wearing it every day. 



A refreshing, skin-protecting mist

Supergoop! Defense Refresh Setting Mist Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Mini, available at Sephora, $12

Once you've already put a face of makeup on, reapplying your sunscreen may seem like a lost cause. This setting spray from Supergoop! offers the protection of SPF 50 in a light, refreshing mist. Spritz it over your makeup or a clean face to refresh your SPF throughout the day — it'll also help keep your makeup in tact. Plus, this mini size is perfect for throwing in your purse and taking with you on the go.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Patagonia's new natural-rubber wetsuit is the warmest I've ever worn, and softer and more flexible than ever

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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.

pat2

  • Patagonia's new lighter, more flexible, and Fair Trade Certified update to its Yulex wetsuit line is my new favorite suit.
  • Made from 85% (renewable) Yulex rubber, the new, entirely neoprene-free line cuts CO2 emissions from normal wetsuit production by about 80%, making it what might be the most sustainable wetsuit yet.

As of this past week, I'm officially ashamed at how much I've cheaped out on my wetsuit purchases over the years. I always thought to myself: I'm not a commercial diver, nor a professional, world-traveling surfer, and office life only has me in the water so often. Why would I spend over $500 on something I hardly ever get to use? Well, Patagonia's newest Yulex rubber wetsuit line and concern for steady blood flow to my extremities are two very good reasons, or so I've begun to learn and appreciate in my ripe old, comfort-seeking thirties.

There are plenty of great wetsuits on the market: O'Neill, the original wetsuit brand, is still making some of the best out of neoprene, in my opinion, and Xcel has long provided wetsuits for US military forces, which more likely than not speaks for something.

That said, there's a whole slew of reasons you might consider looking elsewhere. Looking into both environmental and social responsibility, Patagonia, as it stands now, is the only wetsuit manufacturer that is Fair Trade Certified and neoprene-free. The Yulex line is predominantly (85%) made from natural rubber that's tapped from hevea trees, which can produce for about thirty years, at the end of which they're mostly felled and made into furniture.

So, while there's still a not insignificant 15% of petroleum-based spandex comprising Yulex suits, it's a far cry from where the wetsuit industry was, say, a mere five years ago.

Patagonia's newest line of Yulex suits, I might add, is also exceptionally well-sealed, and, as a result, toasty as can be, which is exactly what you want in a full suit when you're heading into 49-degree-Fahrenheit surf like I did this past weekend.

Technical specs of the Patagonia R4 Yulex wetsuit

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The 49-degree-Fahrenheit water (and 50-degree air) felt so balmy in this wetsuit that I left the zipper (front, chest) unzipped while I was in the surf for over two hours.

Everything on the suit, as well as the gloves and booties, is blind-stitched, taped, and glued, which is the golden standard for the modern wetsuit. I've been wearing and testing Patagonia's Yulex wetsuits for about two years now, and I haven't seen so much as a stitch pop. While this one is new and I've only worn it a couple of times so far, I'd be surprised if it starts to unravel anytime soon. If I do, both you, dear reader, and Patagonia will be among the first to know about it.

Wetsuits are usually measured in thickness by millimeters. For instance, a suit labeled "6/5" means that it measures 6 millimeters thick in the core (chest, shoulders, hips, and back) and 5 millimeters in the extremities (arms and legs). Patagonia, on the other hand, goes for half-millimeter variations that I've found widen the temperature windows in which they'll perform. The lightest-weight wetsuit the brand makes (the R1 Lite) is 2 millimeters thick throughout, which is its only normal wetsuit. The rest of the suits break from the norm: The R1 is a 3.5/2mm suit in place of a 3/2; the R2 is a 4.5/3.5, as opposed to a 4/3, and so on, all the way up to the R5, which is a 6.5/5 made specifically for waters between 32 and 36 degrees Fahrenheit.

The R4 I've been testing is a 5.5/4, or a slightly thicker, warmer adaptation of a "5/4" suit, and that extra half of a millimeter in the core really does make a difference, and my arms and legs are left being that much more limber. It's designed for 38- to 48-degree-Fahrenheit water, which covers me from November or December all the way to early May. I'm used to going from a 4/3 to a 5/4 and maybe even a 6/5 in these temperatures, but I imagine I'll probably still use this R4 (comfortably) for another couple of weeks. That means that this suit has me covered for about half of the year, and my R1, so long as I'm willing to put up with a little discomfort around the colder seasons, covers me from early summer and carries me through the beginning of fall.

The front-zip version of the suit (which I recommend most) comes with a corrosion-proof Salmi zipper, and the zipper, along with the pull-over neck piece, is replaceable (this is often the first thing that goes out on a suit, and the reason back-zip suits tend not to last as long). The suit's Supratex kneepads and cuffs don't seem like anything special, but the ankle cuffs certainly made the hardest part of getting into and out of the suit less of a hassle. The adjustable hood opening with cord lock is a pretty rudimentary piece, but it's worth pointing out that it does work. And the lower-profile tape covering the stitching and seams on the inside of the suit is a nice touch for comfort, as is the now-softer inner lining, thanks to a new weave.

Sizing

Sizing a wetsuit can be tricky business. Fortunately, Patagonia offers sizing charts for its men's and women's wetsuits. Follow these strictly. If you're deciding between two sizes, I suggest going up a size. But keep in mind that everything should be pretty form-fitting, bordering on snug, and you definitely don't want any baggie or bunched-up spots. If you do receive a wetsuit that doesn't fit properly, make sure you take it off immediately (and carefully), and at all costs, do not get it wet or Patagonia probably won't accept it as a return.

My experience using the Patagonia R4 Yulex wetsuit

pat1

Once wetsuits get to about 5mm in thickness, I've generally felt like the Michelin Man wearing them, almost completely inflexible. All wetsuits have gotten remarkably better in the past few years, but the newest iteration of what was once a fairly stiff suit by Patagonia now leaves me almost as free as a bird.

How flexible a suit is also (and perhaps more importantly) translates to your dexterity in the water, which is inherently lower than normal in near-frigid temperatures. Add to that a 5-millimeter skin-tight rubber suit, and let the constriction begin. All in all, though, the new Yulex line is "20% stretchier than its previous generation," according to Patagonia. The brand also claims that they're 5% lighter than before, too, and I must say that I felt much more agile in this suit than I generally do in others, which pays off in dividends of higher wave counts and, hopefully, better rides.

Patagonia also went ahead and made its linings softer and the internal tape over the stitching and seams lower profile, which translates to less rashing. I hadn't had any trouble with rashes before, but I find that the softer lining is palpable, and thoroughly appreciated, at least in my experience.

The thing I noticed most while bobbing around in 49-degree seas was how well-sealed the new Yulex suits are. I barely felt any water creep in during my two-and-a-half-hour surf, and the only reason I got out of the water when I did was that my photographer got cold. Fair enough, I figured.

If you do encounter any problems with your suit, Patagonia offers what I'd call a generous warranty, even when it comes to user error.

Tear open your wetsuit with a surfboard fin? The company will fix it for $20. Decide you want a hood on your hoodless suit? $40. That's more or less the cost of the materials with the professional labor tossed in for free; and look around, but you probably won't find that rate of service anywhere on the wetsuit market. Not as far as I know. Patagonia stands behind its products, and this is where the premium that you pay for its gear shows its worth.

pat4

Stretching into a wetsuit is an exercise in acrobatics, which, it turns out, is extremely frustrating when you're half-naked and soaking wet in a blizzard. It wasn't snowing on this outing, but it was plenty chilly, and I was relieved to not have to wriggle and writhe into and out of my suit as much as usual.

Caring for your wetsuit

pat5

Wetsuit care, regardless of the quality (or price) of your suit, is paramount to it living a long, happy, body-warming life. Here are a few tips:

  • Always rinse your suit with fresh water after use, but it doesn't hurt to shake the sand out with a little sea water in the meantime if there's no fresh water at hand.
  • Don't hang your wet wetsuit from the collar since the added water weight will stretch it out. Instead, double it over a clothing hanger so the weight is evenly distributed.
  • Hang to dry somewhere dry, of course, but also out of the sun (the sun's rays are even more harmful to your suit than they are to you).
  • Turn it inside out until it's dry. The last thing you want, especially in winter, is to have to put on a wet wetsuit.
  • Once completely dry, hang to store. NEVER fold it, and only roll it when you must (creases will ultimately compromise your suit).
  • On occasion, wash it with a wetsuit shampoo like this $12 I found on Amazon.
  • Finally, DON'T PEE IN YOUR SUIT. Or, at least try not to. It's hard to overstress how quickly all that ammonia will wear it thin before its rightful time.

The bottom line

This suit, while maybe not the stretchiest suit on the market, is built to last. The Yulex rubber is more durable than the neoprene on a lot of other wetsuits I've worn over the years, and it is perfectly stitched, sealed, and taped, which means that over time, the seams will hold up and prevent water from flushing in and out of your suit.

I've been testing the original Yulex wetsuits for about two years, and I've taken them on trips to Fiji, New Zealand, and beyond, putting them through paces well outside of their job description. I've taken them spearfishing and lobster diving along rocky, wave-lashed shorelines, where more than once I have graced a rock or two. After two years of world travel and blatant misuse, they're in much better shape than my previous surfing wetsuits were; they're not thinning or stretching out, and the seams, tape, and glue have all held tightly.

If these newer, lighter, and stretchier suits are anywhere near as durable as the old line, I won't be holding my breath looking for flaws or failures — at least not anytime soon.

Pros: More flexible than the previous generation, immaculately stitched, sealed, and taped

Cons: Expensive, maybe not quite as flexible as the higher-performance, state-of-the-art neoprene wetsuits

For more information on how to care for and maintain your wetsuit, and for other wetsuit recommendations, check out our full wetsuit buying guide.

Shop the $549 Patagonia R4 Yulex Front-Zip Hooded Full Suit I tried here for men, and here for women.

Shop all men's Patagonia Yulex Wetsuits here. Or shop all women's Patagonia Yulex Wetsuits here.

SEE ALSO: I'm a devout fan of the original Sperry boat shoes, but I've been wearing its new recycled ocean plastic sneakers lately — here's how they stack up

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The 23 women who have accused Trump of sexual misconduct

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Trump with 2012 Miss Universe, Miss Teen USA, and Miss USA.

  • At least 23 women have accused President Donald Trump of sexual misconduct since the 1970s.
  • Renewed attention has been brought to the allegations amid the #MeToo movement and a national conversation concerning sexual misconduct.
  • Trump has repeatedly denied all of the accusations, calling the women "liars."
  • Most recently, former Trump campaign staffer Alva Johnson filed a federal lawsuit against Trump in February 2019 alleging that he kissed her without her consent at a 2016 campaign event. 
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

As a national conversation on sexual misconduct is gripping the country from Hollywood to Capitol Hill, some renewed attention has been focused on the sexual misconduct allegations that at least 23 women have made against Trump since the 1970s.

A deluge of women made their accusations public following the October 2016 release of the "Access Hollywood" tape, in which Trump was recorded boasting about grabbing women's genitals in 2005. Some others made their stories public months before the tape's release, and still others came forward in the months following.

Trump has dismissed all of the allegations — which include ogling, harassment, groping, and rape — as "fabricated" and politically motivated accounts pushed by the media and his political opponents, and promised to sue all of his accusers. In some cases, he and his lawyer have suggested that Trump didn't engage in the alleged behavior with a certain woman because she was not attractive enough.

"Every woman lied when they came forward to hurt my campaign," the Republican nominee said during a 2016 rally. "Total fabrication. The events never happened. Never. All of these liars will be sued after the election is over."

The president said these "false allegations" against him were made by "women who got paid a lot of money to make up stories about me." And then alleged that the "mainstream media" refused to report on evidence that the accusations were made up. 

Trump has not yet made good on his promise to sue any of the women — although two women have sued him – and the White House says that Trump's election proves the American people don't consider the allegations disqualifying.

"The people of this country, at a decisive election, supported President Trump, and we feel like these allegations have been answered through that process," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters in December 2017, after several of the president's accusers appeared on national television to rehash their allegations.

But despite Trump's denials, 50% of voters — 59% of women and 41% of men — surveyed in a December 2017 Quinnipiac poll released think the president should resign as a result of the sexual misconduct allegations against him. Several Democratic lawmakers have recently called on Trump to resign over the accusations.

One accuser, Samantha Holvey, who out again last year about her experience with Trump as a Miss USA pageant contestant, said that while his election was painful, she and others see the #MeToo movement as an opportunity to "try round two."

"We're private citizens, and for us to put ourselves out there to try and show America who this man is and especially how he views women, and for them to say 'meh, we don't care' — it hurts," Holvey said on NBC News' "Megyn Kelly Today" in December 2017. "And so now it's just like, all right, let's try round two. The environment's different. Let's try again."

Here are all of the allegations — in chronological order — made by 23 named women:

SEE ALSO: Trump responds to women who have accused him of sexual misconduct, saying they're politically motivated

DON'T MISS: Democrats and Republicans have both had hypocritical responses to the outpouring of sexual misconduct allegations

Jessica Leeds

Allegations:

Jessica Leeds told the New York Times in October 2016 that Trump reached his hand up her skirt and groped her while seated next to her on a flight in the late 1970s.

"He was like an octopus. His hands were everywhere," Leeds said, adding that she fled to the back of the plane.

During an interview on NBC News' "Megyn Kelly Today" in December, Leeds added that she was at a gala in New York three years after the incident on the plane when she ran into Trump, who recognized her and called her a c---.

"He called me the worst name ever," she said. "It was shocking. It was like a bucket of cold water being thrown over me."

Trump's response: 

Trump denied the allegations and during a rally in October 2016, suggested that Leeds wasn't attractive enough for him to assault.

"People that are willing to say, 'Oh, I was with Donald Trump in 1980, I was sitting with him on an airplane, and he went after me,'" Trump said. "Believe me, she would not be my first choice."



Ivana Trump

Allegations:

In a 1990 divorce deposition, Trump's first wife and the mother of his three eldest children Ivana Trump accused her then-husband of raping her in a fit of rage in 1989.

Ivana said Trump attacked her after he underwent a painful "scalp reduction" procedure done by a doctor she had recommended, tearing her clothes and yanking out a chunk of her hair.

"Then he jams his penis inside her for the first time in more than 16 months. Ivana is terrified … It is a violent assault," Harry Hurt III, who obtained a copy of the deposition, wrote in a 1993 book about Trump. "According to versions she repeats to some of her closest confidantes, 'he raped me.'"

Ivana later slightly altered her allegation, saying that while she felt "violated" on that occasion, she hadn't accused Trump of raping her "in a literal or criminal sense."

"[O]n one occasion during 1989, Mr. Trump and I had marital relations in which he behaved very differently toward me than he had during our marriage," Ivana wrote in a 1993 statement. "As a woman, I felt violated, as the love and tenderness, which he normally exhibited towards me, was absent. I referred to this as a 'rape,' but I do not want my words to be interpreted in a literal or criminal sense."

Ivana is mother to Donald Jr., Eric, and Ivanka Trump.

Trump's response:

Trump called Hurt's description of Ivana's allegation "obviously false" in 1993, according to Newsday. Trump's lawyer, Michael Cohen, argued in 2015 that his client could not have raped Ivana because "you cannot rape your spouse."

"There's very clear case law," he said.

Cohen later recanted, saying his comment was "inarticulate."



Kristin Anderson

Allegations:

Kristin Anderson, a photographer and former model said Trump reached under her skirt and touched her vagina through her underwear at a New York City nightclub in the early 1990s.

Anderson, then in her early 20s, said she wasn't talking with Trump at the time and didn't realize he was sitting next to her when he groped her without her consent.

"So, the person on my right who, unbeknownst to me at that time was Donald Trump, put their hand up my skirt. He did touch my vagina through my underwear, absolutely. And as I pushed the hand away and I got up and I turned around and I see these eyebrows, very distinct eyebrows, of Donald Trump," she told The Washington Post in October 2016.

Anderson said she and her friends, who were talking together around a table at the time of the incident, were "very grossed out and weirded out," but thought "Okay, Donald is gross. We all know he's gross. Let's just move on."

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Trump's response:

"Mr. Trump strongly denies this phony allegation by someone looking to get some free publicity," Hope Hicks, the president's then-spokeswoman and current White House communications director, told the Post in October 2016. "It is totally ridiculous."



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The best coffee and espresso pods you can buy

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Let's get all delusions out of the way: "Don't be obsessed with your desires... A flute with no holes is not a flute. A donut with no hole is a Danish," the immortal Ty Webb once mused, and he had a point. An espresso pod machine is not an espresso machine, and the liquid it delivers, while inspired, is not espresso.

I'm what my friends and family like to call an espresso snob, as you may have already gathered. I don't like regular coffee, and avoid it at all costs unless I'm about to fall asleep at the wheel, at which point I might reluctantly stumble into a Starbucks. Yes, Starbucks does make espresso, but I hate that too. When I don't have time to fire up an espresso machine at home or in the office, an espresso pod machine is my best friend (I now have one for the car and boat, too, so Starbucks is, once and for all, entirely out of the question).

Whether you're looking for backup when you just don't have time to brew using your preferred method, or you're not really a coffee drinker but like the convenience for guests or the odd occasion that you need a little pick-me-up, an espresso or coffee pod machine is a handy appliance to keep around.

Pod machines (coffee or espresso) require almost no maintenance apart from the occasional cleaning, and they take up almost no desk or counter space, so it's easy enough to justify keeping one out in the open, and most of them have a certain charm to their aesthetic, which doesn't hurt. And, for the record, I would not put up with a big clunky plastic appliance this day in age, and you shouldn't have to either.

Preferences aside, these are machines of convenience. If you're anything like me, you'll only use these on occasion, or maybe in the office. If you're nothing like me, a pod machine may be the first and last coffee-related appliance you buy. No matter what, though, having one will come in handy someday, some way.

For this guide, we tested two popular systems, the Nespresso and Keurig K-Cup. We also tested a third, from Illy. We found Illy's espresso pods to produce the most espresso-like consistency of any pod we've tried. However, that's your only option, because only Illy makes the pods and there are currently just four flavors, so if you own an Illy machine, your choice is either Illy's IperEspresso espresso and coffee pods or nothing.

How to recycle coffee pods

Each company has its own pods, but recycling pods for whichever system you decide to commit to is as simple as sending them back to the company, which will now recycle them for you.

Still, it's important to keep in mind that dedicating time to recycling pods is somewhat antithetical to the whole premise of these machines, which are designed to save us time. Those of us who don't have enough time to make a coffee in the first place is not likely to be the ones taking time out of the day or week to hit FedEx or UPS on the way to work or school. The plan is in place, but it does little to encourage consumers to use it, and, unfortunately, most of us do not.

Nespresso: Nespresso will send you a recycling bag (often included with the purchase of a machine), which you fill and seal and either drop off at a "Nespresso Boutique" (of which, admittedly, there aren't many) or any UPS drop-off location, all free of charge. Here's a short video about how it works.

Keurig K-Cups: Keurig's K-Cups are the easiest of all to recycle. Simply peel off the aluminum foil lid (which, yes, you'll have to trash), empty the grounds wherever you choose (they make great compost), and toss the #5 plastic cup into the recycling. Here's how it works.

Illy IperEspresso: Illy's recycling plan is, frankly, the least sensible of them all. The company charges you $15 for a recycling kit, which comes with a prepaid (by you) shipping label. If you're a member of Illy Casa (a pod delivery service), the recycling is included, but it's an expensive commitment in and of itself, and if you're not set on having at least a capsule a day, it's probably not worth it unless you have a lot of spare storage. Someone has, it turns out, ingeniously discovered that you can open and reuse an Illy capsule with a can opener. (Here's a YouTube video on that.) Here's how Illy's pod recycling program works.

Here are the best coffee and espresso pods we've found, tested, and approved here at Insider Picks:

Keep scrolling to read more about our top picks.

The best Nespresso pods overall

With Recaps Stainless Steel Refillable Capsules Reusable Pods, you're free to build the perfect espresso-like shot on your own terms.

There are more reusable espresso pods on the market than for any other pod coffee or espresso system, and the best pod for a Nespresso system is the Recaps Stainless Steel Refillable Capsules Reusable Pods, followed by Sealpod Stainless Steel Refillable Pods.

Recaps and Sealpods are essentially the same contraptions: stainless-steel cups with single-use (disposable) aluminum lids that stamp on and peel off. The differences lie mostly in the kits themselves, and Recaps, which comes with three refillable pods (as opposed to Sealpods' five), also comes with a tamper, and costs nearly $20 less than Sealpods. The fitted tamper is a huge help, especially when dealing with such tiny capsules, and made my experience filling them far less painstaking.

With that said, filling these pods is a chore. It gets easier the more you do it, but it is something you might accomplish better by sitting down. It's also tricky to learn the optimal size for grounds and tamping to produce a good shot in any given machine. I'm still dialing mine in, but I do on occasion get a much better shot than with the pre-filled Nespresso and third-party pods.

What the Recaps and Sealpods aren't is environmentally friendly because you do throw away the lid after each use. The most eco-friendly option for Nespresso pod machines is by WayCap, which is all stainless-steel (save for a rubber or plastic O-ring to help forge a seal in the machine). The problem with WayCap is that it's difficult to get it to work to build up enough pressure for anything close to espresso. There are, however, multiple tops that come in this kit, and if you can figure out your grind and packing density, there's a good chance you'll be happy with WayCap. Here's a little video guide that the company put together.

The only pods I've learned to get a good shot out of with any consistency have been Recaps' refillable plastic snap-on lid model, but they can be a little tricky to get right, and you do end up having to trash them after about 100 uses. I'd recommend them, but they're still a nuisance in their own right and because they have a limited lifespan, they're not the most eco-friendly.

Amazon reviews for Recaps and Sealpods are not overwhelmingly positive (3.7 stars based on over 200 reviews and 3.8 stars based on over 260 reviews, respectively), and that's probably because these things, as I've already said, are tricky to get dialed. Wirecutter included a section on reusable pods in their guide to pod machines, but only tried the Sealpods based on their slightly stronger Amazon reviews. Having thoroughly tried both Sealpods and Recaps, they differ only negligibly, save for price, which is a huge difference of over $20. I say save yourself the money and go with Recaps (the stainless steel tamper is a nice touch, too).

Pros: (Sort of) environmentally friendly, much more cost-effective than single-use pods

Cons: Still somewhat wasteful with single-use aluminum foil glue-on tops

Buy a three-pack kit of Recaps resealable pods (with 120 single-use lids) from Amazon for $36.99

Buy a three-pack of Recaps plastic refillable pods on Amazon for $6.99

Buy a five-pack of Sealpods with 100 single-use lids from Amazon for $59.90



The best K-Cup pods overall

The Original Donut Shop's Extra Bold Medium Roast K-Cups are not only among the most affordable single-use K-Cup pods but the clear favorite of Keurig users.

Okay, so, once again, the coffee you like or are willing to drink (as the case may be)  is highly subjective. From Green Mountain to Dunkin' Donuts, any number of brands make K-Cups filled with a variety of blends from their own grounds.

But one medium roast seems to be the most popular of all, and while I'm not a regular coffee drinker, I found that The Original Donut Shop's Extra Bold Medium Roast (made by Keurig Green Mountain) was the least offensive to my palate. It's a fuller-bodied medium roast that should appease most coffee drinkers. It's not overly bitter, nor is it overwhelmingly rich, but it's not flavorless either. It should also be mentioned that "Extra Bold" simply means that these cups are packed with more coffee than the usual K-Cup, which is another plus unless you're highly sensitive to caffeine.

More importantly, though: More than 6,000 reviews on Amazon average out to 4.4 stars. Faveable also found it to be the crowd favorite.

Pros: Less expensive than many other brands

Cons: Apart from being single-use

Buy The Original Donut Shop Single-Serve Keurig K-Cup starting at $34.56

Shop all of The Donut Shop's Keurig-compatible K-Cups on Amazon

Shop all single-use K-Cups on Amazon



Best budget Nespresso pods

Some of Bestpresso's blends are better than Nespresso's, in our humble opinion. And, at about $0.30 cents per pod, they're also the most affordable ones we've found (and enjoyed).

When we first received a boxful of Bestpresso's pods, we were skeptical, if not concerned about what to do with this massive pile of espresso pods we thought we'd never consume. Further, after trying a couple of flavors, I'd sworn the whole brand off and began contemplating where to toss them.

But then, some weeks later, I tried a few other flavors, and to my surprise, I was delightfully surprised by one, and then another. We all have different tastes, and it's hard to pin down any single brew, blend, or flavor for all, but Bestpresso was able to delight my picky palate, which is no small feat. And with twelve different flavors, there's sure to be one (or two or three) you'll enjoy.

Bestpresso's pods are not terribly different in design from Nespresso's own branded pods, and you get a comparable amount of crema and richness. I like the Brazil blend, but the best option for your first go might be a variety pack to suss out which you prefer.

Pros: Affordable, 12 different flavors

Cons: Some flavors may border on offensive

Buy a 120-pod Bestpresso Espresso Variety Pack on Amazon for $39.99

Shop Bestpresso on Amazon



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