Some folks do not like soup. And in the midst of cold and flu (and covid) season, it can feel like your options are limited. But they’re not! Soup is not the only thing that will help you, or a loved one, feel better, and we’ve got the recipes to prove it.
Whether your stomach’s on the mend or you need something spicy to clear up those sinuses or something mild and soft for a sore throat, we’ve got the recipes for you. Scroll on for all the best things to try when you’re sick and not in the mood for soup. And if you are in the mood for soup? Head to our Recipe Finder, or check out one of our previous recipe lists.
Kichidi, pictured above. Cook down rice and lentils together and you have kichidi, an easy meal in Indian cuisine that is standard sick-day fare. There are a million different variations, and this one, with simple flavors, is as basic as they come. Tweak if you like, and you can, of course, make a big batch for reheating.
Ginger-Garlic Chicken With Green Beans. Chicken noodle soup? No! Time for a simply flavored chicken dish. Aromatic ginger and garlic are the main flavors here, and it pairs just right with steamed white rice.
Whether you're working for a tech giant or a smaller business, it can be stressful juggling virtual meetings, coworkers in different time zones, Slack notifications and lengthy group email threads. Microsoft Outlook has a number of features to make your digital day easier. I tested these tips on Outlook for the web on a Mac device, so the steps may look different depending on the version and device you use.
Here's a list of our favorite Outlook tips and tricks:
Meeting management
It's easy to invite people to a meeting via Outlook, but you can also keep tabs on who's coming, whether you're the organizer or an attendee. Here's how:
1. Open Microsoft Outlook. 2. Open the calendar panel and choose an event. 3. Under response options, you should see the name of the person who invited you as well as a tally of everyone who's interacted with the invitation. 4. Click the tally to see an expanded version including who's accepted, declined, who's a maybe and who hasn't responded.
If you're organizing a meeting, you can explore more options by opening the form in a new window. From here, you can use features, such as Scheduling Assistant to get a better idea of your potential attendees' availability and response options, letting you disable forwarding, request responses and hide the attendee list.
Better time zone management
Hybrid work environments are here to stay, and that means coworkers might not be in the office at the same time or working traditional hours. It's more important than ever to be aware and respectful of varying time zones. Instead of adding and subtracting mentally to figure out if a meeting you want to schedule is too early or too late, you can add a second time zone in Outlook calendar.
Here's how:
1. Open the Outlook calendar panel. 2. Choose New Event and expand it into a separate window. 3. Click Scheduling Assistant. 4. Click the little globe icon next to the All Day toggle. It should say Time Zones if you hover over it. 5. Leave one field set to your time zone and search for the city of your choice in the other one. 6. Click done.
Outlook will take you back to your invite draft and now you'll see the time zones you've chosen side by side. This only applies to the invite you're working on at that moment, and it won't carry over to your full calendar.
Schedule emails
You can also schedule emails so you're not responsible for waking up a co-worker in the middle of the night or disturbing their vacation. Here's how to do it:
1. Compose an email, but don't hit Send. 2. Click the little down arrow next to Send. 3. Choose Send Later. This opens a window where you can select a custom date and time.
Outlook will automatically suggest 30-minute time intervals, but if you really need to send an email at 4:17 p.m., you can manually type it into the field.
There's not a dedicated tab for scheduled emails, but you can find any emails you've scheduled (until they send, of course) under Drafts. The email should note when it's scheduled to send so you don't accidentally delete it.
Quick navigation with multiple windows
If you're in a situation that calls for multitasking, clicking back and forth between Outlook views might slow you down. Fortunately, the navigation pane makes it pretty easy to accomplish your tasks. Should you need your calendar and inbox open at the same time, just right click and choose to open a new window. This feature only gets better with the Windows 11 Snap Layout and Snap Group tools.
Mute ongoing conversations
We've all been looped in on an email where the Reply All button isn't necessary, but it keeps getting clicked. If you've gotten the information from an email and don't want to be bogged down in notifications, you can turn on the option to ignore an email. Turning on Ignore Conversation will automatically delete the conversation from all your folders except for Sent, as well as any new replies to that email -- so just be sure that's what you want before clicking OK.
Here's how:
1. Open an email. 2. Click the three-dot settings option in the toolbar. 3. Click Ignore. 4. Outlook will ask if you're sure you want to ignore the conversation. If so, click OK.
If you want something a bit less permanent, you can choose to Snooze a conversation. In the same toolbar, click Snooze and choose how long you want to silence the conversation. This way, you're not distracted by endless replies, but you can still look back on any information you might need later.
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I’ve had my Instant Pot for more than three years now. I wouldn’t say I started out as a skeptic of the appliance itself, but more of my ability to make its purchase worthwhile. Those doubts have long since passed. But even as an IP enthusiast,, I still often ask myself how I can wring even more use out of the appliance.
I know I’m not alone. Among the questions that pop up in my inbox or in our weekly live Q&A (every Wednesday at noon Eastern time!), Instant Pot inquiries are common. A frequent topic: How can I make this recipe in my Instant Pot?
The good news is that many stovetop and oven recipes are prime candidates for pressure cooking in an Instant Pot or other electric multicooker. Here’s what you should keep in mind about whether and how to convert them.
Decide whether the Instant Pot makes sense. Let’s get one of the more obvious exceptions out of the way first. If the dish you’re considering is intended to be golden brown and crispy, Instant Pot cooking is not the way to go. Ask yourself, “Is this a recipe that needs pressure cooking?” says blogger Archana Mundhe, author of “The Essential Indian Instant Pot Cookbook” and source of the recent Instant Pot Chana Masala recipe I shared here. Dishes needing dry heat, such as quick sautes or stir-fries, are best left to the stovetop.
The Instant Pot is a sealed environment, meaning moist heat — either through direct contact with liquid or above it, as in steaming — is a given. But that still leaves large swaths of recipes in contention for Instant Pot cooking: braises, soups, stews, curries, risotto and more. Dishes that transform dry or tough ingredients into tender, soft perfection are ideal for pressure cooking. Think beans, grains (steel-cut oats, rice, barley, etc.) and large, sinewy cuts of meat.
Some foods cook so fast on the stovetop that the Instant Pot isn’t worth it, Mundhe says. She gives the example of upma, an Indian semolina dish that comes together in minutes. Similar would be something like couscous (which I recently realized doesn’t even need the cooktop if you just boil the water in your tea kettle). Sometimes the question is more of a personal preference, depending on what equipment you feel like dealing with or whether you care about a few minutes’ difference here or there. Do you have to make lentils in the Instant Pot? No. Can you? Absolutely.
Particularly delicate foods aren’t always candidates for the Instant Pot, or at least not without adjustments (more on that below). Take care with delicate pieces of fish or quick-cooking vegetables. Dairy products can also curdle under pressure, says cookbook author Ivy Manning, who has written several Instant Pot cookbooks, including “Instant Pot Miracle 6 Ingredients or Less.”
Adjust the timing. One of the best things about the Instant Pot is the time it can shave off many recipes. Manning’s very vague rule of thumb is to start by reducing the cook time — the time under pressure vs. what it would be on the stove or in the oven — by about a third. The timing will vary depending on what you’re cooking, but it’s a good place to start. It’s better to underestimate the reduction than overestimate. If something is not done, you can always return the Instant Pot to pressure and cook for additional time. In that scenario, you may find it hard to put the lid back on. Manning says that’s because the silicone gasket expands under pressure to allow for a seal to form. You can remedy the situation by briefly running the lid under cool water and trying again.
Adjust the liquid. Because it’s a sealed environment that doesn’t allow for evaporation, you may need to reduce the amount of liquid in a recipe. Still, “there’s no equation for this,” Manning says, though her general rule of thumb is to cut the liquid by half. For soups, Manning doesn’t reduce the liquid that much since they generally aren’t cooked down much, even on the stovetop. If you decide you want to concentrate the flavor more or achieve a slightly thicker consistency, you can always simmer the soup with the lid off after pressure cooking using the saute function.
Keep in mind that 1/2 cup liquid is a pretty safe minimum amount to avoid burning. You may be able to get away with less, even a few tablespoons, if you anticipate that whatever you’re cooking will give off a fair share of liquid. Vegetables such as cauliflower and broccoli are especially prone to releasing water, Mundhe says.
Mind the browning. Many recipes with meat require that you brown it before proceeding with pressure cooking (see the Instant Pot Arroz con Pollo pictured above for one example). If you’re doing that in the Instant Pot, keep in mind that you typically have less surface area to work with than in a wide skillet on the stovetop. You may need to brown the meat in more batches, as overcrowding will cause it to steam more than sear, resulting in a “sweaty mess,” as Manning says. She offers a few pointers for this step. First, she recommends brushing the meat with the oil rather than adding the meat to oil in the pot. That’s because fat tends to pool at the edges of the Instant Pot insert due to its shape with a raised center. If you place meat in the center where there’s no fat, you may get sticking. She also says you shouldn’t feel obligated to brown every piece of meat on every side. Often, she’ll sear just a portion of it, which is enough to get the benefit of the flavor without spending an inordinate amount of time on the process.
It’s also easy to set the saute feature to high and then forget to adjust it. But as with a stovetop, you may need to play around with the heat level in an Instant Pot. Even more so than on a cooktop, I find that foods can go from fine to scorched in a matter of seconds. So do pay attention and use the lower saute levels as needed. To keep onions from burning, Mundhe likes to saute them with the glass lid from one of her skillets set over the Instant Pot. That allows them to soften faster with less risk of scorching, as the lid will trap a little bit of the moisture that tends to cook off rapidly in the appliance. And don’t be afraid of hitting the cancel button, either, if something is starting to get too dark or you need to step away. The top rim of the insert tends to stay cooler, so it’s safe to lift it out if you have to, especially while wearing oven mitts. Have your ingredients measured and nearby so you can work as quickly as possible. A little bit of your liquid poured into the insert followed by a scrape along the bottom with a spoon or spatula can save you in many instances when food is threatening to burn and trigger the automatic cutoff.
Adjust the order of ingredients. Much burning can be avoided simply by adjusting the order in which ingredients are added to the Instant Pot. Mundhe notes that dry ground spices are prone to burning, so if you’re going to be cooking them under pressure, sprinkle them on top of the other ingredients. Or simply stir them in at the end of cooking, as with the chana masala, which also allows you to adjust the spice level for varying tastes before you add the entire amount called for in a recipe. Manning sometimes takes a similar approach to dishes with thicker tomato sauces susceptible to burning, choosing to place the tomatoes on top of the other ingredients before pressure cooking.
Consider elevating more delicate proteins, either on top of the other ingredients or on a trivet, so they don’t overcook either. This works with chicken breasts and some cuts of fish. Many types of seafood, though, are best left to the end of cooking. Mundhe makes a salmon tikka masala in which the salmon is stirred in after the sauce has been pressure-cooked. The fish pieces cook in just 2 to 3 minutes on the high saute setting. Likewise, Manning adds the shrimp to her gumbo at the very end, when even just the residual heat can be enough to cook them. Stir in dairy (milk, cream, cheese, etc.) at the end of cooking, too. Flours or starches used for thickening are best added at the end as well, Mundhe says, because they can scorch on the bottom of the insert.
There are ads for all kinds of products on social media. Some are legit. Others are just a set-up for thieves to take your money. Our KPRC 2 Investigates team explains how to spot the difference and the way some people are being tricked.
“It showed her riding around on the scooter in the house, and then outside,” said Alvin resident Donna Dobberstine.
A great deal on a scooter was exactly what Donna Dobberstine was looking for.
“It was advertised for $99.99,” she said. “I decided I’d go ahead and do it.”
Weeks later when she hadn’t heard anything, she looked into where her PayPal payment was actually sent.
“I Google searched the name and that came up as a private individual. And so of course, this set off a big red flag on me,” said Dobberstine.
There was no scooter and her money was gone.
If the sale ad looks too good to be true, it probably is
Jennifer Salazar from the Better Business Bureau tells us scooters and other medical equipment are common items thieves use in fake ads. The first warning sign is a super cheap price.
“I know we’re all looking for a deal, especially in this day and age. But there’s a reason behind it,” said Salazar.
Salazar says if you see an ad, find the actual company and call them to see if the deal really exists.
Never enter your Medicare information on a sale ad or website
Never enter your Medicare information into any type of sale ad or website. Some of these fake ads might ask for your personal information in order to take advantage of the deal.
“It might say like for more information or to redeem a coupon or something, enter your information here,” she explains.
Thieves can use your Medicare number to collect fake payments. Keep in mind, medical equipment might be something you can get for free anyway.
“A scooter could be durable medical equipment. Sometimes medicare may pay for that if you get it prescribed by your doctor,” said Salazar.
(You can contact your doctor to see if you qualify and request a prescription for durable medical equipment.) Dobberstine hopes sharing her story will stop another unsuspecting person from falling victim.
“There’s a lot of elderly people handicapped people, and they don’t have a lot of money and so this might seem like a good deal to them too,” said Dobberstine.
We helped Dobberstine get ahold of the right people at PayPal, and she was able to get her money back. You are more likely to get a refund on something like this if you use PayPal or a credit card for the purchase.
The Better Business Bureau has an education program to help teach people how to avoid scams. The BBB often goes into communities to hold classes on various topics. You can request a presentation or volunteer, to help spread awareness on the constantly evolving ways thieves try to trick us!
"The one secret I learned that I told both Mick and David about Paul was that before and after the show he gargled with just distilled water and tea tree oil ... like 10 little drops of tea tree oil in an eight-ounce glass," guitarist Reeves Gabrels told UCR in an exclusive interview.
The well-traveled Gabrels, now a member of the Cure, toured with Rodgers in the early '90s. He also worked with Bowie in Tin Machine from 1988-92, and with the Rolling Stones' frontman in the early 2000s.
Gabrels was initially approached about becoming part of a larger touring lineup in support of Muddy Water Blues, Rodgers' 1993 Grammy-nominated tribute album. In the end, however, they decided to pare everything down. "Bad Company and Free were both trios with a singer," Gabrels tried to remind Rodgers. "So what's the big deal? Why do you need two guitar players?"
Gabrels was brought in with no rehearsal time, but felt right at home playing music he had grown up on. "They had changed some of the material, but they had added more stuff from Free at Last, which was my first Free record when I was learning to play guitar – so I knew all those songs."
Rodgers has often connected his love of acts like Muddy Waters back to the Stones, and held a special regard for Bowie, too.
"Mick Jagger is just amazing, isn't he? Come on, you just have to hand it to him," Rodgers told the Huffington Post in 2014. "He also wrote some great great lyrics. Look, the Rolling Stones introduced me to the blues."
When Bowie died in 2016, Rodgers described him as "such a unique and special musician and person" in a Facebook tribute post. "I met David Bowie a number of times over the years and he was always a kind, considerate gentleman. I liked him a lot."
As for Rodgers' tee tree oil, Reeves told UCR that "it's an aboriginal thing for healing ... and that's what he would use on his throat before and after – and he sang better on stage than I've ever heard him recorded anywhere."
Rock's Forgotten Supergroups
Here's a quick rundown of dozens of would-be supergroups that the world at large has forgotten over the years.
Fast and simple, Google Chrome checks all the right boxes for a good web browser. Over time, it's grown to host a slew of features like extensions, themes and even serve as the foundation for an operating system — Chrome OS. But what about those features that aren't advertised? Chrome is packed to the brim of nifty features to help you get the most out of your browser. We've collected the 10 best tips and tricks together into this article.
Shortcuts
Shortcuts are the simplest way to boost your browsing productivity. They're easy to learn and can speed up your browsing even if you just open Chrome to watch cat videos (completely understandable). Here we have some must-have shortcuts, but there's a full list of Chrome shortcuts over at Google's support page.
Action
Shortcut (Windows)
Shortcut (Mac)
Open a new window
Ctrl + n
⌘ + n
Open a new tab, and jump to it
Ctrl + t
⌘ + t
Open your home page in the current tab
Alt + Home
⌘ + Shift + h
Open the previous page
Alt + Left Arrow
⌘ + [
Close the current tab
Ctrl + w
⌘ + w
Close the current window
Ctrl + Shift
⌘ + Shift + w
Minimize the current window
Alt + Space then n
⌘ + m
Go to the top of the page
Home
Shift + Space
Quit Google Chrome
Alt + f then x
⌘ + q
Google Chrome tips & tricks
Omnibox
That funky little box at the top is called the Omnibox and it isn't just for website addresses; this guy is also a calculator, currency converter, and more. You don't even need to hit enter to see results, the Omnibox will immediately provide you with a result.
Simple math problems
Convert currency
Convert units
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You can of course always use it as a search engine, and more complicated commands can be run by hitting Enter (e.g. setting a timer)
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Bookmark commands
Plenty of Chrome's features are run by typing "Chrome://..." into your browser bar. However, you can also bookmark these commands for ease of use later.
Open up Bookmark manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + O.
Click the bottommost three-button-menu in the top right (.
Click Add bookmark.
Type in the name for the bookmark under Name.
Type in the command under URL.
Click Save.
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Restart Chrome
Type "Chrome://restart" into your Omnibox and Chrome will immediately restart. This closes and reopens all Chrome windows and tabs, except for incognito tabs. It will also close any other profiles you had open
Custom search engine
Using the Omnibox to search isn't limited to Google. It's simple to add any website you want instead. For example, this is a great way to quickly search your emails without opening up Gmail first.
Type chrome://settings/searchEngines into the Omnibox.
Click Add under the Default Search Engines section.
Type in the name.
Type in the keyword (This is what you'll type in to search).
Copy the URL of the website.
Click Save.
To search, type your keyword in the address bar and press Tab on your keyboard.
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Tab groups
A recent addition to Chrome, Tab groups help you manage your clutter of tabs.
Left-click on a tab, then shift-click on another tab to select a group (Any tabs between these two will also be selected).
Right-click on any of these tabs.
Click Add tab to new group.
Name your group to finish adding the tab group.
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Once you've created a tab, simply left-click on the group name to close and open the group.
Adding a tab to an existing group:
Right-click on the tab.
Click Add tab to group.
Select the group you wish to add to.
Experimental Features
To try out the latest features of Chrome before they're released, you'll want to try out Experimental Features. You'll need to download the Beta version of Chrome for this.
Open Google Chrome Beta Click the Experiments button.
Click the drop down menu underneath the feature you wish to try.
Click Enable.
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Chrome task manager
Those familiar with Windows' task manager will be right at home here. An easy way to check what webpage is causing problems, Task Manager lets you see how memory and CPU usage is used by Chrome.
To open task manager, press Shift + Esc.
Save files directly to Google Drive
Rather than downloading files and immediately uploading them to Google Drive, you can skip out the middleman with this nifty extension from Google. Once installed, you'll have the option to save the file to Google Drive instead.
After setup, you'll see an extra option when saving a file. To use the extension, click Save to Google Drive when downloading a file.
File Explorer for Windows
Chrome can be used as a basic file explorer for Windows machines. Simply type "C:\" into your address bar and press Enter on your keyboard. You'll be presented with a basic version of Windows File Explorer.
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Block third-party cookies
When you're asked to enable cookies, those are First-party cookies. They are provided by the website you're visiting and can be allowed or denied when visiting that site for the first time. Third-party cookies are provided by other sites that provide content for the site you're visiting (e.g. ads or images) and blocking those require a little more work.
Click the three-button menu in the top right of Chrome.
Click Settings.
Click Security and Privacy.
Click Cookies and other site data.
Select Block third-party cookies.
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These are our favorite Chrome extensions, and we'll be adding to this list as we learn more.
Jon's interest in Android phones began in 2013 and has been tinkering with them ever since. When not writing he's probably testing the limits of his laptop's hardware or re-watching The Lord of the Rings.
Super Bowl Sunday is as much about food as it's about football. If you're planning to throw a game day party and looking for some vegan options to add to the menu, here are some creative vegan Super Bowl tailgating food ideas that are as delish as their non-vegan counterparts:
Vegan Mac and Cheese Nachos: This recipe is exactly what you need at your next game day party. Think of it as the love child of mac and cheese and nachos, but vegan. Is your mouth watering already? Good. Here's the recipe.
Loaded Vegan Potato Skins: Complete with creamy cashew cheese sauce and tempeh bacon bits, you’d never guess how simple it is to make these vegan potato skins that make the perfect Super Bowl snack. Get the recipe here.
Edamame and Parsley Hummus: With just two steps to make, this is probably one of the easiest vegan Super Bowl appetizer recipes out there. As the recipe creator aptly points out, the only “real” work here is to cook garlic in a little olive oil until it is lightly toasted. That's it. You can pair it with crunchy pita chips or whole wheat crackers. Here's the delish recipe. You might also like this recipe for vegan and gluten-free French onion dip.
Parmesan Rosemary Pizzetta: Swap regular pizza with this delish flatbread made with ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. If you're feeling a bit creative, you can play around with seasonings and toppings of your choice to create or add new flavors. Get the original recipe here.
Crispy Baked Buffalo Tofu Wings: These spicy, protein-packed tofu bites make the perfect finger food for your next game day get-together. Serve with vegan ranch or a blue cheese dip. This recipe for Buffalo Cauliflower Bites is also highly recommended.
Pineapple Guacamole: A refreshingly sweet twist on traditional guac that's guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser. Pair it with crispy tortilla chips or pita chips and you're all set. Get the recipe here. You might also want to check out this recipe for Smoked Chile and Mango Guacamole.
Coconut Lime Dip with Curly Fries: These full-flavored fries are a surprising combination that you’ll absolutely love. Make your own fries or make it easy with some frozen ones and whisk this 2-minute dip together for some easy Superbowl fuel. Get the recipe here.
Crispy Quinoa Onion Rings: These scrumptious onion rings are a perfect snack for your Super Bowl soirée. They are fried and crunchy and pair so well with any dip. What's not to like? Check out the full recipe here.
Baked Taquitos with Creamy Salsa and Guacamole: Football and guacamole are a match made in heaven and this fun recipe for easy-baked taquitos proves it. Here's the recipe.
Vegan Jalapeño Poppers: With a creamy cashew cheese center and crumbled tortilla chips topping, this vegan twist on the classic jalapeño poppers recipe is not only lighter and healthier but tastier as well. Here's the delicious recipe.
What's your go-to Super Bowl snack recipe? LMK in the comments section below!
Get the latest tips you need to manage your money — delivered to you biweekly.
Passive income isn't just for the wealthy.
With a little bit of time and research, anyone can start investing in a passive income stream with as little as $100. We asked three financial experts how they'd invest $100 to start making money in their sleep, and here's what they said.
1. Low-cost ETFs
An exchange trade fund (ETF) combines many individual securities, such as stocks or bonds, into a single investment.
Financial advisor and founder of investment firm Verbatim Financial John Stoj says the best way to invest $100 is to buy a low-cost ETF, and keep adding $100 to it every chance you get. "Do that for years and years, and before you realize it, your investment will have grown to the point where you can live off of it," he says.
As of June 2021, the 1o-year-average stock market returns are 9.2%, although investment returns are neither predictable nor guaranteed. Experts still recommend having an emergency fund with three to six months worth of living expenses in cash as a part of your investment strategy.
REITs are companies that own, operate, and finance income-producing real estate properties. User-friendly apps like Elevate.Money and Fundrise make it really easy to invest in real estate without having to manage properties on your own.
"Real estate investing doesn't always mean flipping a house," Tu says. "REITs are a great way to access real estate investments without needing a ton of money."
3. Website domains
"One of the simplest ways to invest $100 today is to buy a website," says Taylor Kovar, CFP and CEO at The Millionaire Marriage Podcast.
Digital business owners list their websites or apps for a number of reasons — to make a profit from their initial investment from building their product or to step away from the business altogether, according to Flippa.
When you own a website, you can easily set up advertising and affiliate links. Each time someone clicks a link on your new website, you'll get paid a few cents, which can add up to larger-than-expected monthly checks. Kovar suggests going to sites like Flippa.com or Newsy.co to see which websites are on sale.
You can filter your search based on your budget. Each listing also has an estimated monthly profit. For example, a website called Best Stocks has an asking price of $10 and an estimated monthly profit of $596 a month.
Disclosure: This post may highlight financial products and services that can help you make smarter decisions with your money. We do not give investment advice or encourage you to adopt a certain investment strategy. What you decide to do with your money is up to you. If you take action based on one of our recommendations, we get a small share of the revenue from our commerce partners. This does not influence whether we feature a financial product or service. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. Read our editorial standards.