Tammy Alamrieh
Every day numerous applications are released, while millions are downloaded and deleted. Amidst the constant cycle of apps, there are five I refuse to delete. Aside from obvious favorites for a PR student, such as Twitter or Instagram, there are many underrated apps I cannot live without. Ranging from fitness to education, these are the top five applications that help me track my spending, stay fit and most importantly, organized.
1. Financial: Mint.com
From students to working professionals alike, Mint.com will balance your budget and show you exactly how much you’re spending and where. For an avid impulse buyer, the whereabouts of your spending may be overlooked. This application is perfect for keeping your spending in check. Mint.com allows you to link your bank account to view your statement by category, such as food and clothing. Rather than solely updating you on your rather low bank balance, Mint.com allows you to set budgets for yourself. You’re alerted whenever you have exceeded your monthly allowance on things such as your abundant coffee expenditures. You can set monthly budgets for your grocery spending to restaurant bills. We’ve all had those moments when we swore that we’re just going “window shopping”. It’s always okay because you just want to ‘look’ but it never ends that way. When we end up buying small things here and there and sooner than later we’re $200 short and aren’t sure how. This is the application to ensure our money stays in our pockets and not spent on fast food for the third time in one week.
2. Educational: Duolingo
“To have another language is to possess a second soul” – Charlemagne. Whether you plan on picking up a new language or need some extra practice for class, Duolingo is the best choice. This application will take beginners step-by-step through a variety of languages including French, Italian, Spanish, English, Portuguese and German. Level by level you can learn a language at your own pace. This easy-to-use app teaches grammar and sentence structure without paying a cent.
3. Fitness: Myfitnesspal
For fitness enthusiasts or healthy minded students, Myfitnesspal helps everyone stay healthy by tracking your exercise and eating habits. The benefit to this app, rather than a fitness or food journal, is that you can add in own recipes. Rather than searching for the nutritional information of your multi-layered sandwich, just type it in. Not only can you create your own recipes, but you can look up meals from your favorite brands or restaurants. You can now account for that Tim’s coffee you have every morning. Myfitnesspal intends to better your health, and what better way for a student living off of study snacks to stay healthy than through an accessible application.
4. Miscellaneous: Momento
This form of an unconventional diary allows you to write down your thoughts and keep your memories close. With the ability to sync your photo album to the entry, this password-protected application allows you to write on the go. Keeping a journal can be a hassle, however this app is quick, easy and you don’t need to hide your key. With an organizational method of ‘tags’, you can easily find your entries to revisit your memories.
5. Miscellaneous: Timehop
Ever wonder what you were doing this time last year? There are some things we never want to relive, like junior high, but also many moments that we never want to forget. Timehop links Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and shows what you were doing the exact same day, the previous years. Some tweets seem like a great idea at the time, but when looking back a year or two later, your opinion may change. A good laugh and plenty of reminiscing is guaranteed.
These five free applications help maintain order in my not-so-organized life as a student.
