Everything You Need to Know Before Investing in Cryptocurrency

Like many of my peers, my first introduction to cryptocurrency came when I read a buzzy article about how a teenager became an overnight millionaire by investing in Bitcoin. Soon, that one astonishing account rippled into thousands of success stories, and it wasn’t long until the internet was practically overrun with news of Bitcoin and the blockchain. But even despite a significant dip in the price of Bitcoin over the last month, cryptocurrencies are moving past its five-minutes of internet fame and are actually gaining legitimate merit in the business and finance world. Prestigious colleges are now offering classes on cryptocurrency, governments are talking about drafting more rigorous cryptocurrency regulations, and even we here at Brit + Co held a cryptocurrency summit last month as a primer for women to discuss how to invest in digital currencies.

But while the internet is running amuck with data-heavy crypto reports, not too many folks are decoding this trendy but complicated new currency for beginners. The sad truth is that only five percent of cryptocurrency investors are women — a fact that we believe is partially due to the lack of adequate digestible information. So for all you ladies who want to start understanding the basics of crypto, here are 13 basic things you need to know before investing.

1. Understand the history of Bitcoin. Created in 2009 by a mysterious figure known only by the alias Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin is the first and most popular cryptocurrency to hit the market. Bitcoin was originally created as a decentralized way to make digital payments using technology. But it isn’t tangible like gold or paper money — instead, Bitcoin is generated or mined through a complex series of mathematical formulas. To purchase it, you must first create a digital wallet. Then, when someone uses a Bitcoin to purchase goods or services or decides to trade it with someone, that transaction is validated by thousands of computers in a vast network and recorded on a public ledger.

2. Don’t use Bitcoin to buy your morning coffee. Bitcoin originated as a way to simplify the process of making digital payments. So does that mean you should be using Bitcoin to buy your everyday micro-payments like your morning Starbucks? Well, the short answer is no. While there are certainly some companies that accept cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin in exchange for goods and services (Overstock and Expedia are two good examples), Bitcoin is currently being used as an investment tool. “As [Bitcoin] becomes more expensive and as the difficulty in transactions continues to rise, some are starting to see it as a store of value,” notes financial expert and Senior Writer at Student Loan Hero Miranda Marquit. “There are a few who still use it as a medium of exchange, but more and more — especially with all the recent hoopla — people are thinking of it as an asset.”

3. Set up a cryptocurrency wallet. So you want to start investing in cryptocurrency — what’s the first step? After doing your research and finding a cryptocurrency that you want to commit to, the first step is to create a digital wallet. According to BlockGeeks, “A cryptocurrency wallet is a software program that stores private and public keys and interacts with various blockchains to enable users to send and receive digital currency and monitor their balance.”

There are many different ways to create a digital wallet, but by far the most popular and secure way to do so is through Coinbase. Coinbase is a digital currency wallet where merchants and consumers can transact with a ton of new digital currencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin. To create an account, you need to enter your contact information, confirm your identity with your passport or photo ID, and link your credit card and bank information. If you don’t want to use an online wallet, you can also use specialized software, a mobile app, a physical wallet, or a printed paper wallet. For more information about types of wallets, check out this handy article from Coindesk. Just keep in mind that if a wallet service doesn’t ask for confirmation details like your passport or ID, you should probably be wary of using it.

4. You don’t have to drop a lot of money to do it. The price of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies like Ethereum have surged and fallen dramatically over the past few months. Today, a single Bitcoin is worth upwards of $11,000. But don’t worry if you don’t have the funds to drop a five-figure investment on it. Bitcoins are divisible to eight decimal places, so the minimum investment you need to get started is 0.00000001 BTC.

5. Be aware of fees involved in buying and selling cryptocurrency. When the time comes to exchange your Bitcoin or other cryptocurrency for more traditional currencies (think USD), there will most likely be fees involved. “The fees are often calculated as a percentage, although for smaller transactions there might be a flat fee,” says Marquit. “For example, if you have 0.01 Bitcoin on Coinbase and you want it converted to USD, it will be based on its dollar value on the GDAX exchange. As of this writing, Bitcoin (BTC) is worth about $8,700. So that amounts to $87. If Coinbase charges 1.49 percent as a fee, that’s about $1.30 in fees.” Marquit also notes that the fee algorithm is quite complex and the fee percentage differs depending on a myriad of factors, including which currency you’re converting, whether you use a digital wallet with the platform, and whether you get the money transferred to a bank account or receive it through another method like PayPal. “Carefully read the fine print on all platforms to make sure you understand the conversion fees,” she warns, as some investors have been caught paying outrageous fees for micro-transfers.

6. Converting your cryptocurrency takes time. Despite being a completely electronic way to make payments and invest in currency, converting your crypto to fiat (AKA traditional currencies like the US dollar) can be more of an involved process that you may think. “If you use the Instant Exchange with Coinbase and you have a wallet, the conversion, even with multiple steps, can go fairly quickly — only a few minutes.” That being said, completing the conversion process from start to finish can still take a while. “Realize, though, that once you go to withdraw from your wallet to a bank account, it can take several business days to get your money. Also, realize that sending some cryptocurrencies, especially Bitcoin, can take more than an hour for a transaction to complete if you are sending it directly to another person.”

7. Understand that cryptocurrency is a volatile market. If you’ve made it this far into the article, we probably don’t have to tell you that cryptocurrency has seen its fair share of surges and dips. In fact, the price of a single Bitcoin has dropped from $17,500 to $7,000 in just a few months. While cryptocurrencies are a hot topic right now and the technology is unquestionably exciting, it’s important to be mindful of how volatile the market is. Investing in cryptocurrency is not guaranteed to make you a millionaire, and you may even end up losing your entire investment. Use conventional wisdom and only invest in as much as you can afford to lose.

8. Buying and selling cryptocurrencies must be reported on your taxes. “It’s important to remember that if you do buy and sell individual cryptocurrencies, you are expected to report the gains or losses on your taxes,” note Marquit. The IRS views cryptocurrencies as property. So, if you bought BTC at $1,200 and sold a Bitcoin back when it was doing really well, at about $19,500, you see a gain of $18,300. You will be taxed at the short-term gains rate, since you held the Bitcoin for less than a year. If you hold a cryptocurrency for a year and a day, you can count the gains as long-term gains, and see a more favorable rate — but you’ll still be taxed.” Furthermore, if you’re spending your cryptocurrency on products or services, you still need to be wary of taxation. “Say you bought LTC (Litecoin) for about $70. You decided to buy something for $250, and the seller accepts LTC. You pay with a single Litecoin, which has gone up in value. Your gain is $180 because you’re getting that extra value for a single Litecoin. You are expected to report that $180 gain as part of your income and pay taxes accordingly.”

9. Bitcoin isn’t the only cryptocurrency on the market. Ethereum, Ripple, Litecoin, and Dash are all cryptocurrencies that can be bought and sold on popular cryptocurrency hubs, and there are many more being created every day. While Bitcoin is by far the trendiest cryptocurrency to date, it’s probably a wise idea to spend a little time researching the pros and cons of investing in other digital coins before choosing if and where to invest your money.

10. Know what an Initial Coin Offerings (ICO) is and how to use it. While buying cryptocurrencies at a low price and waiting to flip them for profit is one strategy for investing in crypto, more adventurous investors can also opt to participate in an Initial Coin Offering or an ICO. Initial Coin Offerings are an unregulated way for a new cryptocurrency venture to gain funding. Instead of going through the tedious task of raising capital, companies can start an ICO campaign instead. “In an ICO campaign, a percentage of the cryptocurrency is sold to early backers of the project in exchange for legal tender or other cryptocurrencies, but usually for Bitcoin,” according to Investopedia. Many experts note that investing in an ICO is similar to investing in a crowdfunding venture. “Early investors in the operation are usually motivated to buy the cryptocoins in the hope that the plan becomes successful after it launches, which could translate to a higher cryptocoin value than what they purchased it for before the project was initiated.” If you’re interested in perusing the current list of companies with ICOs, check out ICO Alert for more details.

11. The regulations surrounding ICOs are murky at best. Because cryptocurrency is just starting to gain widespread attention, governments have been slow to create binding regulations regarding ICOs. Technically speaking, the SEC considers all digital tokens or coins as “securities” (that is, they view it as a stock), and all ICOs are supposed to be properly registered. “The reality is that no ICOs or ETFs have registered with the SEC, and there are some suits underway against companies that offer these,” says Marquit. “Investing could be problematic, and you could lose your investment if the SEC comes down on a cryptocurrency company offering one of these products.”

12. Be wary of potential ICO scams. Unfortunately, cryptocurrencies are not immune to scammers. For instance, a cryptocurrency startup called Prodeum originally told the public that they planned to build a database of fruits and veggies on the Ethereum blockchain, but after only five days, the site completely disappeared and everyone’s investment was lost. While this scheme didn’t harm too many investors, there are a few instances such as OneCoin, Confido, and BitConnect where crooks were able to scam a lot of people out of their hard-earned money before their ICO was finally shut down.

13. Take advice from the experts. Now that you know the basics of investing in cryptocurrency, here’s a tidbit of advice: “First of all, only use money you can afford to lose, and don’t put in money that you need,” notes Marquit. “Also, make it a point to take profits when you have them. Sure, there was a big runup toward $20,000 with BTC. Then we hit a correction and now it’s down to less than $9,000. Because cryptocurrencies are so new and trendy, they don’t have any sort of long-term history, and you don’t know what’s next. Things could completely change in the coming months and cryptocurrencies might not even look like they do now. If you’re going to do this, be clear about why you’re doing it, use profit-taking strategies, limit your losses, and only risk money you can afford to lose.”

Are you looking to start investing in cryptocurrency? Tweet us by mentioning @BritandCo.

(Photos via Getty)

An Aldi fan on Reddit recently compared the cost of their grocery list at Aldi to several major stores, and we’re absolutely floored by the results. One of our favorite places to go even ended up being 71% more expensive than Aldi – yikes!But in this economy, we can believe it.

Of course, if we're talking about grocery stores, we can’t forget to mention Trader Joe’s! Not only do we love TJ’s for their notoriously quirky vibe and fun new finds, we opt to shop there because it’s seemingly affordable (keyword here being seemingly).

We calculated the cost of a similar grocery list at Trader Joe’s to the Aldi’s one on Reddit, and the final tally was a bit… shocking.

Scroll on to see which retailer wins for affordability in the Trader Joe’s vs. Aldi debate!

Aldi

The original poster on Reddit, an Aldi fan for sure, totaled up a basic grocery list consisting of 22 items from Aldi and concluded: “All I can say is, wow. I know I’m preaching to the choir here but these savings are insane.”

Whole Foods

The Redditor also provided grocery list totals for several other popular grocery stores to compare the Aldi list to. They also made sure to note that they get their grocery shopping done in the Chicagoland area, so that could definitely explain why the numbers may be a little different where you live. Knowing that, here’s what they came up with:

  • Aldi: $60.40
  • Walmart: $74.80 (24% higher)
  • Jewel: $83.90 (39% higher)
  • Whole Foods: $103.51 (71% higher)

Reddit

We did the heavy lifting and concocted a similar grocery list for Trader Joe’s. For reference, see the Aldi bill above, and the TJ’s bill in the bullet points below:

The Trader Joe's List

  1. Tiny Fruity Cuties Cereal (like Fruit Loops) $3.99
  2. Everything but the Bagel Seasoned Crackers (This was the most similar TJ’s product to Aldi’s cheese crackers we could find, plus most of TJ’s crackers average around $2.99 anyways.) $2.99
  3. Saltines (TJ’s no longer sells their version of saltines, but according to one Redditor, they were $1.99.) $1.99
  4. Avocado oil$7.99 (Two more dollars than Aldi!)
  5. Organic black beans $1.19
  6. Unscented deodorant $4.99
  7. Brownie Truffle Baking Mix $3.97 (Two more dollars than Aldi!)
  8. Romaine hearts (We weren't able to find an organic option listed on TJ’s site.) $2.99
  9. Large eggs $4.99
  10. Multicolor peppers (Only organic is listed on TJ’s site.) $2.99
  11. Green peppers (Only red organic peppers are listed on TJ’s site.) $3.99
  12. Seedless cucumber (The only comparable option TJ’s has for the Aldi’s list above is the Persian cucumbers.) $2.49
  13. Mild cheddar cheese (The only comparable option TJ’s has for the Aldi list above is the Shredded Unexpected Cheddar Cheese.) $4.99
  14. Cilantro (This isn’t listed on TJ’s site, but they do sell it in-store. Various sources report different prices for cilantro. Abillion forums say it’s $1.29, but Taste of Home reports $1.99. We're averaging the two for a final item price.) $1.64
  15. Tuna pouch $1.79
  16. Hummus (Only organic is listed on TJ’s site.) $2.99
  17. Yellow onion (Assuming 1 since the quantity isn't clear in the Aldi list above.) $0.99
  18. Red onion (Assuming 1 since the quantity isn't clear in the Aldi list above. TJ’s doesn’t have red onion listed on their site, so we're also assuming it’s a similar price to their yellow onion.) $0.99
  19. Carrots (Assuming 1 since the quantity isn't clear in the Aldi list above. Only organic is listed on TJ’s site.) $2.49
  20. Avocados(Pack of 4, like Aldi.) $5.99
  21. Celery (TJ’s doesn't have celery listed on their site, but they do sell it in-store. For this comparison, we're assuming it’s the same price as Aldi’s celery.) $1.69
  22. Potato chips (TJ’s doesn't have baked chips like Aldi does, so we went with the most basic potato chip option to compare, the Ridge Cut Potato Chips with Sea Salt.) $3.99

Aldi vs. Trader Joe's: The Price Comparison

Trader Joe's

Aldi’s total came to $58.75 without tax, while the Trader Joe’s total ended up clocking in at $68.14 without tax for (mostly) similar items on the Aldi list. That means that TJ’s only came to cost $9.39 more than Aldi for a very comparable haul. 🤔

Aldi

So, who really wins the Aldi vs. Trader Joe’s debate? If you were to measure it solely by the numbers, it’d be Aldi – though the margins aren’t as big as they are at, say, Whole Foods (71% more, remember?!) or drastically big in general.

Aldi vs. Trader Joe's: Who's The Winner?

Trader Joe's

Both Aldi and Trader Joe's definitely have their respective charms. While Aldi boasts a fan-favorite ‘aisle of shame’ and a streamlined store design, Trader Joe’s never stops the flow of fun, new products that keep fans in a chokehold. If you’re set on choosing a clear winner, we say go with your heart – going off of this basic comparison, you’ll honestly end up spending a similar amount of money shopping at Aldi vs. Trader Joe’s.

Do you have a favorite grocery store? Let us know in the comments and make sure to subscribe to our newsletter for more news from your go-to grocery stores!

Is anybody in Hollywood busier than Nicole Kidman? The queen of AMC has been feeding us non-stop since Big Little Lies season 2 ended in 2019. The Perfect Couple, A Family Affair, Nine Perfect Strangers, Babygirl— she never stops! Nicole's latest role in Amazon Prime Video's Scarpetta sets her opposite Jamie Lee Curtis for a mystery thriller adventure that might just rival Jamie's Knives Out.

The story, about a medical examiner who returns to her hometown, and a rocky relationship with her sister, feels like an edgy take on Sullivan's Crossing with the drama and intrigue of Big Little Lies, and I am so locked in. Even if you've never read the books before, this is going to be one show you won't be able to stop watching.

Keep reading for everything you need to know about Nicole Kidman's new Kay Scarpetta show, coming to Prime Video soon.

Is there a TV series based on Kay Scarpetta?

Amazon

Yes a Kay Scarpetta TV show is coming to Prime Video! The crime series — which has been greenlit for two seasons — will follow Chief Medical Examiner Kay, played by Nicole Kidman (and reportedly inspired by CME Marcella Farinelli Fierro), who reenters her former position in her Virginia hometown. Not only is she navigating the ins and outs of her work life, but she's also balancing relationships with her sister Dorothy, her coworkers, and all the secrets that come with them.

And apparently, the scripts in and of themselves stopped Nicole in her tracks! She tells Vanity Fair the project is "terrifying" because "it’s so well-written. It’s crazy how I’m frightened reading it. I haven’t done that. I can’t think of a film I’ve done where it was so terrifying. Like what? The Others wasn’t terrifying."

Who's in the Scarpetta cast?

Kevin Winter/Arturo Holmes/Getty Images

The Scarpetta cast is truly incredible, and will be led by Nicole Kidman as Kay Scarpetta and Jamie Lee Curtis as Kay's sister Dorothy. The fact that the show is tentatively called Scarpetta makes me think the series will focus just as much on Dorothy — and their relationship — as it does on Kay.

Nicole is super excited to work with Jamie, and told Vanity Fair that the experience has been "glorious" so far. "I was like, 'I’ll do it with you, but you have to play my sister. You have to go with me.' And she’s like, 'Okay.' So, we’re producing it together and we’re in it together—and that is glorious. That’s what I mean, where you go, 'Okay. Who’s got the same amount of passion and enthusiasm?' Look at her. I mean, she’s unbelievable. She is a force."

Here the full Scarpetta cast:

  • Nicole Kidman as Kay Scarpetta: a medical examiner who returns to her hometown.
  • Jamie Lee Curtis as Dorothy: Kay's sister.
  • Ariana DeBose as Lucy Farinelli-Watson: Dorothy's daughter.
  • Bobby Cannavale as Pete Marino: a former detective.
  • Simon Baker as Benton Wesley: an FBI profiler.
  • Rosy McEwen as younger Kay Scarpetta.
  • Jake Cannavale as younger Pete Marino.

Where can I watch the show?

Koolshooters/Pexels

We don't have an official Scarpetta release date yet, but it'll stream on Prime Video in the near future. Stay tuned for more news!

What order do the Kay Scarpetta books go in?

Amazon

There are 28 books in the Kay Scarpetta series so far.

  1. Postmortem (1990)
  2. Body of Evidence (1991)
  3. All That Remains (1992)
  4. Cruel and Unusual (1993)
  5. The Body Farm (1994)
  6. From Potter's Field (1995)
  7. Cause of Death (1996)
  8. Unnatural Exposure (1997)
  9. Point of Origin (1998)
  10. Black Notice (1999)
  11. The Last Precinct (2000)
  12. Blow Fly (2003)
  13. Trace (2004)
  14. Predator (2005)
  15. Book of the Dead (2007)
  16. Scarpetta (2008)
  17. The Scarpetta Factor (2009)
  18. Port Mortuary (2010)
  19. Red Mist (2011)
  20. The Bone Bed (2012)
  21. Dust (2013)
  22. Flesh and Blood (2014)
  23. Depraved Heart (2015)
  24. Chaos (2016)
  25. Autopsy (2021)
  26. Livid (2022)
  27. Unnatural Death (2023)
  28. Identity Unknown (2024)

What is a Chief Medical Examiner?

Thirdman/Pexels

A medical examiner investigates unusual or suspicious deaths. They perform post-mortem exams, determine the cause of death, and work with the local police.

Read up on Nicole Kidman's other newest project, Margo's Got Money Troubles!

This post has been updated.

Millions of people are painfully aware of the struggles that come with being an adult in today's economy (hello, cost of eggs?!).

The average salary in the United States is just over $66,600, according to data from the Social Security Administration. Meanwhile, mortgage rates are still above 6%, and food prices have risen a whopping 31% since 2019.

Being able to afford outings like date nights or brand-name clothing, let alone going on family vacations or buying a home, has become a privilege. But, for people who grew up in affluent households that didn't have to worry about finances, privilege can be an invisible force that shapes their lives in ways they don't even realize.

When you grow up surrounded by other individuals just like you, it's easy to assume that everyone has the same opportunities. However, once you venture outside your "bubble," you might experience a wake-up call or a defining moment that opens your eyes to the disparities that exist beyond your own upbringing.

So, people who grew up wealthy recently took to Reddit to share their own personal wake-up calls, which made them realize just how privileged they were compared to others. Here are 10 of the most intriguing revelations.

Scroll to see the wake-up calls that made these wealthy people finally see the real world...

1. Not everyone's parents can put them through college. 

"My parents are wealthy, but I grew up in a place where many of my peers' parents were super, duper, crazy wealthy, so I had a skewed understanding of wealth," shared one user.

"It was really eye-opening for me when I went to college. I didn't have to take out student loans; my parents were able to just pay for it. But I had friends who, even with financial aid, had to work their [behinds] off year-round to cover the cost of school. I realized pretty quickly just how privileged I was and that I did, in fact, grow up with wealth."

2. Country clubs aren't the only kind of "clubs" out there. 

"When I was confused about people on Maury complaining their spouse was at 'the club,' and I couldn't figure out what type of country club would let people like that through the front security gate," admitted another user.

3. Not everyone views their parents as good role models. 

"Becoming an adult and realizing that I have extremely good role models as parents because when they have disagreements, they talk them out, and I have never, ever, heard them argue or badmouth each other," one user revealed.

"I also realized that as a kid, my parents got me mental health help that I needed even though it was expensive and continued that care for as long as I have needed it," they added.

"A third [wake-up call] that doesn't seem like much but has had a huge impact was being taught financial literacy from a young age; to budget my money and only buy the things I really, really want."

4. Many people have never left the country.  

"My parents loved to travel. By the time I was 16, I had been to every continent aside from Antarctica. I didn't realize that this was privileged behavior until I went to university, and most of the guys I met had never left the country," a user shared.

"In fact, I grew up thinking I was less privileged because everyone at my school was just obscenely rich. Like, all their stuff was high-end designer stuff while I was in Converse."

5. Some families cannot afford to have pets. 

"My dad was an engineer, so professional wealth, but... probably hearing about a kid whose family had to give his dog away due to the cost in elementary school," another user remembered.

"Giving away our dog wasn't on the radar or even on the table. But it was only out of the question because my parents had the money for it to be out of the question."

6. Owning multiple properties is not the norm. 

"When I learned that not everyone has a summer cottage or trust fund, and not all grandparents have weekend and summer homes," a user noted.

7. Exposure to cultural education isn't a given. 

"I didn't think I grew up in a wealthy family, but when I started high school, I was part of a group of girls who became close friends with me. Apparently, they thought it was very weird that I knew things that I considered cultural knowledge, like the history of some important building in the city or the fact that I actually knew about art and went to museums quite often," detailed a user.

"All this because my parents made me go to museums and theaters my whole life growing up. Apparently, that's not a normal thing for normal parents to do with their kids, and asking your parents if they can take you to the ballet is not something a teenager would normally ask."

8. Some people have never been able to fill up their tanks at the gas station. 

"In college, I went on a road trip with friends, and one asked how much money he should put in the gas tank. I told him to fill it up," recalled a user.

"He kept asking, 'Okay, how much should I pay?' and I kept saying, 'Fill it up!' It turned out he had only ever put $10 to $15 at a time, and it had never occurred to me that some people never fill their gas tanks to the top."

9. Seeing how families abroad make do.

"I realized how privileged I was when I spent a summer with my great-grandmother in a small village in rural Hungary. No indoor running water, the only phone was at the church, and everyone came out to touch the rental car we drove there in. This was in the late 1980s," recalled a user.

10. Learning that not everyone takes their first flight as a child.

"I have been flying around the world since I was 4 months old. When I was 16, my friend told me she'd fly for the first time in an airplane, and I was shocked," said another user.

"I told my dad that I couldn't believe it took her 16 years to fly! I got a stern talk after; my dad is very humble despite it all."

Looking for more lifestyle stories? Be sure to sign up for our newsletter!

This post was updated.

Trader Joe’s always knows exactly how to get us excited for new products – and this time, it’s rumored that the grocer is bringing back their viral Mini Canvas Tote Bags in four brand-new colors that are all perfect for spring! Speculated to hit stores around April 8, you’re not going to want to miss this TJ’s drop.

Here’s everything you need to know about the return of Trader Joe’s Mini Canvas Tote Bags for spring 2025.

@traderjoesobsessed

Trader Joe’s fan account @traderjoesobsessed first circulated the rumor that the Mini Canvas Tote Bags are set to return to Trader Joe’s this spring.

“Rumor has it that the pastel mini canvas bags will be here in April. Usually, they do release these on a Wednesday. How excited are you for these colors? I can’t wait to customize them!” the caption reads.

Another source, @zuncola, hinted that the totes could hit stores as early as April 8 or 9.

@traderjoesobsessed

It appears there will be four different colorways in this season’s Mini Canvas Tote Bag drop: pink, blue, green, and purple. But they’re not your ordinary pinks, blues, greens, and purples – per the rumors, they’ll come in pastel hues that all look stunning. From carrying your quick grocery hauls to toting each and every picnic essential you’ll need this spring, these bags get it all done in sheer style.

Trader Joe’s

In the past, the Trader Joe’s Mini Canvas Tote Bags have been a limited-time item that garnered plenty of attention from shoppers, even sparking a massivefrenzy inside stores with customers racing to snag their own tote. Some TJ’s locations have also placed a buying limit for bags like these, typically 1 per customer. Based on the reception of the rumors for this year, you’ll likely want to plan when and how you’re going to get your hands on one.

Instagram

Tons of Trader Joe’s fanatics sounded off in the comments of @traderjoesobsessed’s post about the rumors of the Mini Canvas Tote Bags’ return:

“Stoppppp no way!! 😱😱” one person wrote.

‘Yes! These will make great bags for Easter gifts,” another said.

“Looks like I need to buy camping gear cause I'll be in that line before sunrise 🤩,” one more fan commented.

Reddit

In previous years, the Mini Canvas Tote Bags went for $2.99 too $3.99, and we expect this pastel-filled drop to cost about the same.

Reddit

Though there’s no official release date for the mini totes, they’re speculated to hit shelves sometime in April 2025, possibly the 8th or 9th. Stay tuned here for more updates!

Subscribe to our newsletter to stay on top of all the best Trader Joe's news!

This post has been updated.

After only two episodes of Only Murders in the Building season 4, Hulu renewed the series for season 5! I'm so excited that the show breaks a recent pattern of cancelling shows after the third or fourth season, giving us more time with our favorite characters, and I'm not the only one.

"Here we go again… my favorite set family. I’m coming home!" Selena Gomez says in an Instagram post, while the official Only Murders account made their own post, saying, "We had our lawyers call business affairs. Turned the 4 into a 5. #OnlyMurdersInTheBuilding is coming back for Season 5!!"

In addition to the show entering production, the one and only Renée Zellweger (Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy) just joined the cast. Iconic!

Here's everything you need to know about Only Murders in the Building season 5, coming to Hulu soon.

Who's in the Only Murders in the Building season 5 cast?

Eric McCandless/Disney

The Only Murders in the Building season 5 cast features all our favorites, and some new faces! According to Dan Fogelman, “we can expect more big guest stars that’ll probably be announced sooner rather than later,” he tells The Wrap.

"I am so grateful that I have been surrounded by human beings that make me better, challenge me, remind me day after day that every moment is a gift," Selena Gomez says about working with Steve Martin and Martin Short. "That’s my pure joy. I thank god for the era I’m in. It’s been the best yet."

The Only Murders season 5 cast includes:

  • Selena Gomez as Mabel Mora: a true crime lover who begins her own podcast after getting sucked into a murder mystery.
  • Martin Short as Oliver Putnam: a theatre director and founder of the Only Murders in the Building podcast.
  • Steve Martin as Charles Hayden Savage: an actor and true crime lover who begins the Only Murders podcast with Oliver and Mabel.
  • Téa Leoni as Sofia Caccimelio: a woman who approaches the podcast trio after her husband Nicky goes missing.
  • Renée Zellweger
  • Christoph Waltz
  • Keegan-Michael Key

What is Only Murders in the Building season 5 about?

Patrick Harbron/Disney

We finally got our first details about Only Murders season 5 — and we're going in a direction I totally didn't expect. When Sofia visits Mabel and Charles in the season 4 ending, and asks them to find her missing husband, she's disappointed when they turn her down. And since Téa Leoni just joined the season 5 cast, it looks like she's not taking no for an answer.

“I think she’s the great tease at the end of the finale and a little bit of an intriguing bump forward,” co-creator John Hoffman says in an interview with Deadline. “She’s an extension of the little news report in Episode 9 that Mabel makes note of at the hospital. [Sofia] is the wife of the Dry Cleaning King of Brooklyn, and maybe a couple of dry cleaning outlets in Manhattan, as well, we may come to know...It’s a world opened up potentially that we haven’t talked about too much yet in New York, so she holds a lot of intrigue.”

Patrick Harbron/Hulu

New York's underground is a wild space that we haven't really seen on Only Murders yet so I know we're in for one very interesting season — because if this show is going to go there, they're going to go there.

Executive producer Dan Fogelman told The Wrapwe can look forward to “another big fun mystery the writers have been cooking up," while Hoffman has gone on the record saying the new episodes will “hit on some very current things going on within New York, specifically very relevant things that are happening in the city right now.”

When is Only Murders in the Building season 5 coming out?

Patrick Harbron/Hulu

There's no Only Murders in the Building season 5 release date quite yet, but the show is in production! Considering we've had a new season over the last four years (with season 1 in 2021, season 2 in 2022, season 3 in 2023, and season 4 in 2024), we're expecting to see season 5 in 2025. Stay tuned for the official Only Murders season 5 release date.

How many episodes are there in Only Murders in the Building season 5?

Patrick Harbron/Hulu

Only Murders in the Building season 5 will have 10 episodes total on Hulu.

Check back here for the latest Only Murders in the Building season 5 news and check out the other new TV shows coming in 2025.

This post has been updated.