Month: May 2021

Let’s address your financial stress!

Finances? Budgeting? Expenses? Savings?

Do any of these words make you anxious or stressed? Dealing with our finances can be a stressful experience for many of us, and often it can feel overwhelming when looking at all the pieces and trying to figure out where to start.

We’ve put together a simple system below that includes links to resources and some simple and practical ways to approach budgeting and finances.

First things first! You don’t have to do it all at once, that can be stressful and overwhelming. Try taking it one thing at a time, don’t try to overhaul your whole life at once. Taking control of your finances can help you achieve your life goals and can help alleviate a lot of stress in your life.

Phase One: Planning & Research

1) Figure out where you’re starting (do a financial audit – it sounds scary but it’s basically a list).

Make 5 Lists: Income, Bills, Debt, Savings, and Expenses. Listings things this way can show you what money is coming in (Income), what absolutely needs to be paid each month (Bills), what savings or debt you currently have (Debt & Savings), and where your money is being spent (Expenses). Knowing where your money is going and if you expenses are exceeding your income is an important place to start.

2) Organize your expenses into categories. Doing this can help you see how much money you are spending in certain areas and you can start examining where you might be able to cut some expenses and save.

3) Think about the future! Is there something you want to save up for? Is there a financial situation you would like to be in within the next 5 years? What could you do now to achieve that?

Say you’re looking to purchase a new computer for school. You need to know how much it’s going to cost, when you’re going to need to make the purchase, how could the total amount be broken down into smaller amounts that are easier to save?

Phase 2: Budgets & Savings

4) Create your budget with a system that works for you! There are a ton of different ways to create and use a budget, the best budget system is the one that you will actually use. Here are a few different tools or practices you can utilize:

– Google Doc Template
– Apps: Mint, You Need A Budget
– AC Financial Aid Budget Template
– paper and pen
– Excel spreadsheet
– cash and envelopes/jars

5) Set up an emergency fund and savings accounts. Check out what your bank has to offer, there are lots of ways that your bank is there to support you. Schedule a meeting with a financial advisor or just scroll through their website. Try taking advantage of auto withdrawal systems at your bank, for example: some banks can set it up so every time you have a transaction, a certain amount of money is moved from one account to a savings account. Even if it’s $0.25 it will add up. You can also set up weekly or monthly withdrawals to savings, automating these can help you achieve your savings goals without even thinking about it.

Phase 3: Saving Money

6) Savings Tips!

Use your student discounts!

– Check out the wide range of coupons that are regularly updated

– Sign up for Loyalty or Reward Programs (PC Optimum, Starbucks, Triangle, Petro Canada).

– Switch to buying used or thrifting for your next clothing or household purchases – Check out places like St. Vincent de Paul, Value Village, Kijiji, and ReStore.

– Join your local Buy Nothing group!

20 Podcast recommendations that will have you laughing, learning, and growing!

AC Student listening to a podcast

Have you ventured into the world of podcasts? It’s a great medium to learn about literally any topic and a great way to broaden your knowledge even as it relates to your own program of study!

Taking some time to explore a new topic or further your knowledge in an area of interest can really reinvigorate your mind! Plus, they make doing things like laundry, dishes, or commuting just that much more interesting.

There are so many great podcasts out there it can be hard to figure out where to start, so here are a few recommendations from an avid podcast listener!

Media

1) This American Life – “When I’m trying to explain our program to someone who doesn’t know it, I stammer a bunch of words like ‘entertaining,’ ‘funny,’ ‘surprising plot twists,’ ‘true stories but not boring I swear’ … and then I just give them this list.” — Ira Glass

2) Radiolab – A show that focuses on topics of a scientific, philosophical, and political nature. The show attempts to approach broad, difficult topics such as “time” and “morality” in an accessible and light-hearted manner. A stellar example of deep-dive journalism.

3) Song Exploder – A podcast where musicians take apart their songs, and piece by piece, tell the story of how they were made.


Design

4) 99% Invisible – Design is everywhere in our lives, perhaps most importantly in the places where we’ve just stopped noticing. 99% Invisible is a weekly exploration of the process and power of design and architecture.

 

Business

5) How I Built This – The stories behind some of the world’s most well-known companies.

6) Under the Influence with Terry O’Reilly – Under the Influence gives listeners a rare backstage pass into the hallways, boardrooms and recording studios of the ad industry. Host and adman Terry O’Reilly bring together fascinating (and humorous) stories that connect the dots between pop culture, marketing and human nature.


Science

7) Science vs – There are a lot of fads, blogs and strong opinions out there, but then there’s SCIENCE. Science Vs is the show that does the hard work of sifting through the science to find out what’s fact, what’s not, and what’s somewhere in between.

8) Overheard at National Geographic – Dive into one of the curiously delightful conversations overheard at National Geographic’s headquarters, follow explorers, photographers, and scientists to the edges of this big, weird, beautiful world.

9) Outrage + Optimism – Conversations about the climate crisis that will educate and inspire, from environmental, political, and cultural leaders from around the world.


Culinary

10) The Sporkful – The Sporkful isn’t for foodies, it’s for eaters, a podcast that explores food deeply to learn more about people.

11) Home Cooking – Chef and Author Samin Nosrat (Salt Fat Acid Heat) and Hrishikesh Hirway (creator and host of the podcast Song Exploder), bring a mini-series to help you figure out what to cook—and keep you company—during the quarantine.

12) Gastropod – Food with a side of science and history. Learn about the hidden history and surprising science behind a different food- or farming-related topic, from aquaculture to ancient feasts, from cutlery to chile peppers, and from microbes to Malbec.

Something for Everyone

13) Code Switch – Challenging and important conversations about race hosted by journalists of colour. This podcast explores how race impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and everything in between.

14) Stuff You Should Know – The title says it all. Josh & Chuck are ready to explore everything from chilli peppers and housing discrimination to satanism and plastic pink flamingos.

15) Planet Money – Imagine you could call up a friend and say, “Meet me at the bar and tell me what’s going on with the economy.” Now imagine that’s actually a fun evening.

16) TED Talks Daily – Change your perspectives, ignite your curiosity, and learn something new every day.


Because Everyone Needs a Laugh

17) Because News – Canada’s funniest news quiz!

18) The Debaters – Part stand-up, part quiz show, and part comedy competition.


In Case You Missed Them

These are completed podcast series that you should check out if you missed them at the height of their popularity!

19) Serial – Hosted by Sarah Koenig. Serial unfolds one story – a true story – over the course of a whole season. The show follows the plot and characters wherever they lead, through many surprising twists and turns.

20) The Dream – Hosts Jane Marie, an alum of This American Life, and Dann Gallucci, have created a series that dives deep into various systems of capitalist exploitation.

6 great options when selecting electives

Most programs at Algonquin offer you the opportunity to take one or two electives outside of your regular program courses. This is a great chance to learn something new or expand your knowledge on a topic of interest.

General Electives fall into the following thematic areas: Arts in Society, Civic Life, Social and Cultural Understanding, Personal Understanding, Science and Technology. It’s good to note that the options may change depending on your program of enrolment and the term.

When making your selection, think about picking something that you are both interested in and will offer you the opportunity for growth!

Want to learn more about Art & Design?

Art and design can be seen in almost everything that we interact with on a daily basis. Learning how it has evolved, and what kind of influence it has on how you express yourself or behave, can be useful in both your personal and professional life as well as just interesting!

Symbols, text, and meaning

We all use symbols and text everyday to express ourselves, but how much time do you spend thinking about what you interact with on a daily basis and how it influences you and the world around you. This course will help students develop an understanding of how language and text influence expression, culture and mass media, through the examination of both traditional and contemporary approaches. An excellent course especially if you have any interest in communications, media, design, marketing, or business.

Looking to improve your personal life?

Take a look at your personal finances, work on building a healthy lifestyle, or take a look at your personal perceptions and happiness.

Introduction to personal finance

Establishing and maintaining healthy personal financial affairs are important steps towards overall success in life. This course provides practical learning and activities to help you understand better how to manage your personal finances now and in to the future.

Healthy lifestyle

It can be hard to prioritize thinking about your health and lifestyle when you’re entrenched in your college program! This course is designed for students to spend their time assessing their personal lifestyles and learning to improve them through self-evaluation, weekly journals, and hands-on exercises.

Positive psychology: The science of happiness and well-being

We could all probably do with spending some time thinking about happiness and our own well-being! Positive Psychology looks at how we can make life more satisfying and meaningful through interventions and actions that promote and develop qualities such as self-knowledge, learned optimism, gratitude, mindfulness, resilience, and community connection.

Interested in the environment?

The need to lead healthy, environmentally conscious lives is increasingly important! Learn how to make changes in your personal life for the betterment of the environment as well as how you can influence and drive change in your communities.

Living green

This is a great all around course for anyone looking to expand their knowledge of current environmental issues that our world is facing. In this course students acquire the practical knowledge and skills required to explore current environmental challenges and identify personal plans for living in an environmentally responsible manner.

Looking to add to your career development?

We can all always use some additional career development! The world is rapidly changing and getting to know the trends in today’s workplace and be essential to success in the workforce.

Trends in today’s workplace

Get yourself workplace ready! This would be an especially great course for anyone looking to enter the workforce for the first time or maybe the first time in a while. In today’s culture of work, every employee needs to be knowledgeable about current trends and issues in the workplace. Students explore issues facing employees in today’s technology-driven workplace and investigate the realities of social networking, diversity in the workplace, and work mobility.

For the full listing of programs as well as their description and course outlines head on over to the general education electives homepage. For more information on how to register for your elective click here!