Free Apps You Need to Survive First Year
Food
via Buzzfeed, Inc., Mealime Meal Plans Inc. & Eat This Much, Inc. June 2019 (Click to enlarge)
Tasty/Eat This Much/Mealime
If you’re someone who enjoys cooking, apps like Tasty are full of delicious and dorm-friendly recipes that you can easily whip up between classes. For a healthier alternative, Mealime and Eat This Much have a collection of nutritious recipes and meal prep ideas so you can avoid that famous Freshman 15.
Ritual/Skip the Dishes/Uber Eats/Foodora/Door Dash
For when you’re in the mood to #TreatYourself, you need to check out these apps that connect you to restaurants around Ottawa.
Ritual allows you to order and pay ahead of time so your food is ready for pickup as soon as you get to the store. The app also lets you make group orders and earn rewards with each transaction.
When you’re too lazy to even go to the store, Skip the Dishes, Uber Eats, Foodora and Door Dash all deliver your favourite meals straight to your home and/or campus. Perfect for long study sessions or when you don’t want to get out of bed.
Money
via Splitwise Inc. June 2019 (Click to enlarge)
Splitwise
Anyone who has ever lived with roommates knows how difficult it can be to keep track of who owes what. Tools like Splitwise aim to simplify this by allowing you input shared expenses and keep a running total over time. Now you can settle your balances in one big payment so you don’t have to feel petty chasing after people for $6 for laundry detergent.
Mint
If spreadsheets aren’t really your thing, then Mint is for you. The personal budgeting app connects your account to your banking institution(s) so you can have a better view of your finances. You can set limits for yourself and receive alerts when your spending habits are higher than usual.
Flipp
Flipp gets you one step closer to becoming an Extreme Couponer. You can explore weekly flyers at local retailers, find coupons to save on everyday items, sync your shopping lists, and much more. At first it may seem time consuming, but you’d be surprised at how quickly those couple of dollars in savings add up over time.
Groupon
Before spending money on any activity, the first thing you should always do is check Groupon. From exercise classes, to paint night, to three-course meals, you can always find a bunch of great deals on local goods and services.
School
via Trello, Inc. June 2019 (Click to enlarge)
Trello
As the popular saying goes, there is only one way to eat an elephant: one bite at a time. The same concept holds true when it comes to college. Between exams, placements and assignments, it can be overwhelming to keep your head above water. One way to overcome this is by breaking down each task step-by-step. Project management tools like Trello help you stay on top of your game by organizing your school work into to-do lists by subject or deadline.
Brightspace
Most professors use Brightspace to post digital material, allow communication between students and faculty and conduct assessments. Although you can use Brightspace on any laptop or computer, it’s a great tool to have on your mobile device so you can stay up-to-date on the latest assignments and access course material from anywhere.
WhatsApp/FB/Google Hangouts/Skype
No matter what you are studying in College, you are bound to have at least one group project where these apps will definitely come in handy. Whether you are #TeamiPhone or #TeamAndroid, you and your teammate can share files and have group text/video calls – even if you don’t share the same type of smartphone.
Grammarly
Grammarly helps correct your spelling and grammar while you work and makes suggestions on how to kick your writing up a notch. Although this tool is best used on desktop, you can use their keyboard integration on mobile to make sure you are always putting your best foot forward.
Getting Around
via BusBuddy – My Appatory June 2019 (Click to enlarge)
BusBuddy/Ottawa Transit/MyTransit/Route 613
Almost everyone in Ottawa can agree that waiting at a bus stop for five minutes in the middle of winter can feel like an hour. Two hours if you are also running late for a class or exam. Do yourself a favour and download one of these apps so you can track the location of your bus in real time. That way you can wait for the bus inside and plan your trip accordingly.
Lyft/Uber
If you are an international student coming to Ottawa for the first time, you may not know of the ride-sharing apps that the nation’s capital has to offer. Lyft and Uber both –offer discounts for first time riders and Uber allows you to split the cost of the ride with your friends to make carpooling easier.
College is a huge life transition, but you have the power to make it easier at the tip of your fingertips. By reading this list, we hope you discovered new ways on how to save money, time and stress. We’ll see you on Campus!
