Top 5 free apps/online tools for students

1. Cook’s Illustrated

It features:
• 50 of our all-time best recipes, covering appetizers and main courses, to side dishes, breakfasts, and desserts.
• A timer built-in to each recipe so your iPhone can keep you on task.
• Recipes which come with videos to show you how it’s all done.
• Requisite shopping list feature
• Dozens of taste test reviews for supermarket ingredients

2. Any.DO Task & To-do List

• Perfect for creating a to-do list.
• It also synchronize all tasks with other devices so that the list can be accessed from anywhere.
• Add new entries to the list with the help of touch-based interface, or use your voice to create tasks.
• You can change the priority of your entry, mark a task as completed, or even shake your device to remove all completed tasks from it.
• The Any.Do widget can be added to your home screen for quick and easy access

3. Pocketbook

• It is automatically updated so you don’t have to manually tap in each time you spend.
• Notifications will also pop-up on screen alerting you to when money has come out of your account
• Monitor your spending across all your bank accounts (automatically sync all your bank transactions with the app into a single view in seconds)
• Bank feeds available for Commonwealth Bank, Westpac, ANZ, NAB, St George, Bankwest, Citibank etc.
• It categorises spending into groceries, travel, clothing etc

4. Google Drive

• Online storage tool that lets you keep your photos and documents in one place.
• Perfect for group projects: you can ‘invite’ anyone to edit and view your documents and you can all work within the same document at any time.
• You need to have a Gmail account

5. Written? Kitten!

Sometimes, just a little bit of positive reinforcement is enough to fight procrastination. This program rewards you with the picture of a kitten whenever goals are attained. Who wouldn’t like a cute kitten pic as a reward for hard work 🙂 ?

What apps do you recommend? Have you used any of the ones mentioned above? Share your experience!

xxx
Leaving the Nest

5 Tips for saving and budgeting

image source

1. Join Arc and enjoy on campus and off campus discounts:

• $5 Boost Juice smoothies on Tuesdays from 3-4pm
• Free upsize on all drinks at Share Tea
• 10% off all purchases at Moochi
• Buy one single adult ticket and get a second one for free at Sea Life Sydney Aquarium
• 25% off total order at Eagle Boys Pizza
And that’s just few of them. Want to find out more? Go to this link to see the whole list of amazing discounts

2. Use cash instead of debit/credit cards

There is something that is different psychologically when you use cash instead of a credit or a debit card to pay for something—you realize just how much it really costs. However, it’s a bad idea to carry huge amounts of cash around with you. So try to plan ahead how much money you will need on each day. This will also help to cut back on your impulse purchases.

3. Say no to eating out

Try to start preparing meals in advance at home and consuming the leftovers as well. This will save you a ton of money and plus when you make the meal, you control the ingredients and limit the preservatives, salt, and other unhealthy elements.

4. Stay social on budget

When going out leave your bank card at home. Account for how much money you are willing to spend plus include taxi fare. But if you really want to avoid wasting money, have a day out instead. Consider going to your local scenic walking tracks, beaches or parks. It’s a great way to get out of the house and spending time with your friends without opening your wallet.

5. Remove your credit card numbers from your online accounts

It’s easy to spend money online when you have your card information stored in an account. The best way to break this habit is to simply delete your card from the account. So when you’re tempted to buy something, you’ll be forced to spend the time to first find your card and then type in all the details – and really think about why you’re spending this money.

What about you guys? How do you manage to cut down on your expenses?

xxx

Leaving the Nest

5 How-to & cooking tutorials

1.How to properly slice onions

2. How to cook perfect rice

3. How to butterfly a chicken

4. How to cook sweet potatoes

5. How to cut perfect avocado slices

What dishes do you find the most challenging to cook? Share with us

xxx

Leaving the Nest

6 essential websites for UNSW students who are leaving the nest

UNSW Residential Communities manages campus colleges, the University Terraces and UNSW Apartments. The units are aimed at independent living for undergraduates and postgraduates including couples and families with children. You can find all the necessary information as well as apply online by visiting their website.

Study stays is a free service provided by Student Life and Learning to assist UNSW students who are looking for housing vacancies around out Kensington and COFA campuses. Note, you need to register first and then start your search.

Classifieds is a free listing service for the UNSW community. All you need to do is to login with your Z ID and password to begin. There are 5 different categories: Accommodation, Buy/Sell, Lost/Found, Events and Swap/Trade.

Student Participation Advisors is a team of professional staff who have many years of experience in coaching students through general study and personal matters to achieve their academic goals. You can book in a free appointment with a student participation advisor, to gain help and advice about securing the best living situation for you especially if you are planning on renting privately (know your rights!) or regarding any other personal matter.

Housing at UNSW is a Facebook group where you can find a place to rent or housemates within UNSW comunity.

Free & For sale is another useful Facebook page where you can resell/buy textbooks/fridges/fans and more!

Have you found this article useful? Do you know any other interesting websites for UNSW students who are leaving the nest that we’ve missed? What other topics you would like us to cover?
xxx
Leaving the Nest

5 Everyday Life Tutorials

Struggling with some aspects of your new adult life?

It’s never too late to learn! Watch these 5 short and informative videos and move one step closer to becoming a true adult.

1. How to remove grease stains

2. How to perfect hard-boiled eggs

3. How to change a light bulb

4. How to tie a tie

5. How to cook the perfect pasta

Have you found this useful? What other things you would like to learn on your way to becoming a true adult?

xxx

Leaving the Nest

Where to rent?

Finding a place to rent is not an easy task. You need to consider costs and location. As a university student, you should probably consider renting place in close proximity to your campus. You can either rent an apartment/house in nearby suburbs or live on campus.

Shared house/apartment

Renting is pretty expensive in Sydney. Here is a list of Rents by Individual Suburbs in Sydney. If you’re a UNSW student, the cheapest suburb to rent in is Kingsford plus it’s in very close proximity to the campus. You might also want to consider renting in Coogee, Kensington and Randwick. Bear in mind that it’s often cheaper to rent in a shared apartment/house.

Image source

Campus accommodation
There are 2 types of accommodation UNSW apartments and UNSW colleges. Apartment types vary from studios to 8 bedroom apartments.

University Terraces, Barker, Mulwarree and High St Apartments – Link to accommodation fees (Mulwarree apartments’ is the cheapest option with rent rate $223 per week)

UNSW Village – Link to accommodation fees (fees vary from $258 to $420 per week).

There are six Colleges: Colombo House, Fig Tree Hall and The Kensington Colleges (Basser College, Philip Baxter College and Goldstein College) and UNSW Hall – link to the fees (the price range varies from $367 to $517)
Campus accommodation is always high on demand so make sure you apply in advance.

What factors do you consider the most important when choosing a place to rent? We would love to hear your opinion!

xxx

Leaving the Nest

P.S Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more useful tips and information