College on a Budget
Is your bank balance starting to scare you just twenty days into the month? Are you tired of hearing your parents ask what you’ve been spending on — and having no answers better than “…. coffee… umm… The food here is really expensive you know…”
We’ve got you covered!
Maybe they haven’t invented an app that can tie your shoelaces yet, but there are definitely apps and websites that’ll help you get more financially responsible.
Even if you’re someone with virtually no spending limit, it doesn’t hurt to find out what you’re spending on and maybe save a bit to spend on that new dress, or book, or your next Delhi outing, right?
1. Monefy - An App to Track Your Expenses
There are a ton of expense tracker apps out there, but we like this one - you can create categories for expenses (coffee, snacks, meals, stationery, toiletries, etc), and enter details of items even within these categories. Once you’ve recorded an expense (say, “Nescafe Maggi”) and are buying it again, and need to re-record, the app autofills the entry, saving time.
(If the ads annoy you, and like us, you’re broke and need the Pro version, there’s always a way - not for iPhone users though, y’all better pay up.)
2. Splitwise - Save your Friendships and your Money
This is a fairly popular app, so you’ve probably heard of it. In case you haven’t, it’s an app that calculates who owes who and how much, and on what, etc. You can create different groups with multiple people and friend groups, and the free version has no ads :)
Better than sending a Google Pay request, right? I might be constantly in debt to my roommate, but at least I have a record of it 🤷
3. RemovePaywall and 12ft Ladder - They Remove Paywalls
RemovePaywall and 12ft Ladder are to news and magazine articles what SciHub is to academic papers. If you desperately need good, solid news articles and op-eds for assignments or papers, and can’t afford the thousands of rupees of subscriptions required for all the news / magazine websites, check out these links.
And then, when you have a job and are rich enough to actually pay the journalists and writers for their hard work, maybe consider actually subscribing to the actual websites if you like reading well-researched, high-quality articles.
4. Get A Side Gig, or sign up for Experiments
If you have the time, try freelancing for a bit.
You might have to comb the Internet for opportunities, ask around, or resort to one of these websites, but opportunities for freelancers are immense, and you could put those Canva / Photoshop / Web Design / writing skills to good use.
Alternatively, you can contribute to science and sign up for experiments :)
5. Cheapest Food on Campus
This list wouldn’t be complete without us mentioning the cheapest ways to escape the Mess — here are a few recommendations for cheap food options that are filling (or caffeinated) and available round-the-clock:
Chai @ Chai Shai - ₹15
It seems like a no-brainer that a place named after tea should have the cheapest and best tea on campus right? If you’re craving chai that has some actual elaichi and adrak in it and not just tons of sugar and milk, then this is the right chai for you.
Mattar Kulcha @ Chaat Street - ₹60
It’s perfect. And don’t skip the green chutney.
Herb Chilli Burger @ Nescafe - ₹50
It’s fried, it’s a burger, but it tastes pretty good and is available from 8:30 am to 3:00 am. It’s your perfect fall back in between classes (watch out for the crowd though).
Vegetable Maggi @ Nescafe - ₹50
Ideally you want to make your own Maggi. It costs ₹14. But it also costs time — time to go to your room, wash the pan, etc, etc. And if you want to add vegetables, that’s another headache you might not want to handle. All in all, the vegetable Maggi seems like a pretty good deal if you want to save time and delude yourself into believing you don’t need to worry about your vegetable intake.
Vada Pav @ Fuelzone - ₹35
To someone from Mumbai, this might just be a potato patty fried in way more besan than needed, stuffed between pieces of bread that can’t authentically be called pav, but those people are just bitter and homesick. If you’re hungry between classes and looking for something savoury and moderately filling, get the Fuelzone Vada Pav (or Pao), and get it grilled.
ABR Podcast coming up this Friday!
Last week, we announced that we were launching a podcast — but this week, you’re actually going to be able to listen to it!
Our first episode comes out this Friday, 21st April. Tune in to find out our first special guest and their insightful takes on the world of advertising and marketing!
Follow our socials (@ashokabusinessclub on Instagram) for more updates.