Health Tips Line

When you Google something, how do you tell which website you should look at first? If you’re like most people, whether you’re shopping for a specific item or searching for some other service, you probably click on the first link that pops up on your results page. After all, if it’s at the top, it must be the best, right? Not necessarily. That first Google result doesn’t always mean it’s the best anymore—it might simply mean the company paid Google to get priority billing on the search engine. Now, scammers are infiltrating Google’s sponsored-advertising system to trick buyers, and if you’re not careful, your next online shopping trip could turn into a digital disaster. Read on to find out the big dangers that could be hiding in those little search results—and how to avoid falling for this new scam the next time you’re online. Get Reader’s Digest ’s  Read Up newsletter for more tech, travel, cleaning, humor and fun facts all week long. What is the new Google scam you need to ...

Anyone in a 9-to-5 job with paid time off knows the drill. You plot and plan your vacation months ahead of time, trying to squeeze every last minute out of that PTO. At one job where holiday competition was fierce, I made a sport of requesting time off around holidays well in advance—sometimes by as much as six months—so I could stretch the 4th of July and Thanksgiving breaks into multi-week international escapes . Of course, traveling during those peak times was a lot more complicated, and often more expensive, but the payoff felt worth it. There was also another problem with my strategy. Inevitably, to make those few extended jaunts work, I’d face long stretches with no time off at all. And while those mega trips were pretty amazing, the trade-off was steep. Well, these days, an increasing number of travelers are taking a different approach to their days off—a trend called microcations, also known as microtraveling. I’m always down for any sort of escape, but the question in my min...

You’re invited to a fancy dinner hosted by your best friend. According to the Evite that just landed in your inbox, it’ll be a great way to connect with your nearest and dearest—maybe even make a new friend or two. There’s just one catch: You’re not invited. Or, rather, you’re invited by scammers to give up your personal information, your money and possibly your identity . Yup, the bad guys have cooked up a new way to con you. If you’ve already lost money to one of these online scams , you’re not alone. According to the most recent data from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), consumers lost $15.9 billion to scams in 2025, up from $12.5 billion in 2024. Lois Greisman, associate director of the FTC’s division of marketing practices, testified before the U.S. Congressional Joint Economic Committee on March 25, 2026, saying, “Reported fraud losses have increased year-over-year in the last six years and have risen nearly 430% since 2020.” The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet ...

It’s fun to try to decipher the clever sayings people put on their license plates: “2COOL4U,” “FASTDRV” and “ROADRNR” are just a few examples, and these vanity plates might catch your eye on the road. But what really sets a car apart? The plate design itself. While every state has its own standard look, many also offer specialty plates that can make your ride feel even more personal. Each year, states roll out new designs—often tied to schools, charities and local causes. And this year, there’s a common theme for many of them. Ahead, we’ve rounded up which states are introducing new plates in 2026, what they represent, how you can get your hands on one and more. Plus, we’ll give you details on the special celebratory designs popping up nationwide, so keep reading. Get Reader’s Digest ’s Read Up newsletter for more fun facts, cleaning, travel, tech and humor all week long. Which states are getting new license plates this year? Nearly a third of states are getting new license pl...

Having to listen to people eat is the bane of my existence. Truly, I would rather listen to a plane full of screaming babies next to road construction than someone slurping soup. And someone chewing gum next to me makes me so crazy, I have literally offered my open palm to strangers and said, “Please. Just spit it in my hand.” (And they have.) I know. I know. But here we are. I have misophonia—a mental health condition that makes sufferers extremely sensitive to certain repetitive noises, and eating sounds are among the most common triggers. So it was with much dismay that I recently joined a Zoom call for work and discovered that one of the attendees was eating sushi. With her mouth open. And juicily licking her cursed fingers . I couldn’t tell you a single thing that was discussed in that 45-minute meeting because all I could hear was lick , smack , slurp , gulp , swallow . I feel nauseous just thinking about it. So clearly I’m not a fan of people eating on video calls. But—an...