Best Apps to Save You Money on Black Friday

Black Friday is only a week away with many stores and specials beginning Thanksgiving evening, and all shoppers want to make sure they are getting the best deal possible. Many stores say items are marked down, but how can we be sure? Luckily, there are apps that are designed to aid consumers on Black Friday and Cyber Monday so they don’t have to do all the work. While looking through sale ads and making your list, consider these apps:

Camel Camel Camel – There are few stores that can even compete, let alone beat Amazon this time of year. With thousands of deals, this online retailer is going to be a main destination for shoppers all across the globe. However, Amazon can be known for changing prices daily, and in the past, have been accused of raising prices before a huge sale to appear cheaper. Camel Camel Camel, a free Amazon price tracker, can help you with this. After entering the item’s URL, the app will show you how the price has fluctuated over time. You can look at the price history, compare the highs and lows, and determine if the “sale” is actually a sale. 

Flipp – Gone are the days when consumers would pick up the latest sale ads from their weekly newspaper. While they were informative, it was not convenient to carry all those around. Using Flipp, a mobile app that collects all of the latest weekly ads from the biggest retailers, you can see them all in one place. In addition, it also provides coupons, and lets you load a deal directly onto your loyalty card at places like CVS, Walgreens, etc.

Santa’s Bag – Many people, myself included, have spent almost all their savings during Black Friday or Cyber Monday, mainly because of a lack of self control and the huge discounts you can receive. However, this does not have to be the case. If you are a constant over-spender, you may want to consider apps like Santa’s Bag. This allows you to stay on budget and make a gift list of how much you want to spend. As you shop, you just add the amount of an item you just purchased and keep a running total. When you reach the cap of your budget, it till let you know how much you have left and what items are still on your list to compare and decide. 

While this time of year is always huge (especially for me), it is important to shop smart. Using these apps will not only save you money, but they will keep you on track for what you are planning on buying and how much you are planning to spend.

"A[?]"OS 11 Glitch

Earlier this week, it was reported the new iPhone iOS 11 update has a glitch that is causing a capital “A” or an exclamation followed by a square box with a question mark inside instead of the letter “i”. It is messing with people’s texts and tweets and are angering Apple users everywhere. It is not only affecting newly purchased phones, but all with the new iOS 11 update from iPhone 6 and up. However, this glitch is only viewable by fellow iPhone users. Those with Androids or other smartphones view this text as normal.

As this glitch has continued over what many view as way too long, people have now been forced to be creative and when typing “i”, they have spelled out “eye” or used the eye emoji. Others have avoided the issue if their autocorrect changes it to an uppercase “I”. Apple has addressed this issue by saying that it will be fixed in a future software update, which has strongly angered longtime Apple users. Instead, they are prompted to go to Settings – General – Keyboard – Text Replacement and add an autocorrect replacement for the lowercase “i” with an uppercase one.

While they did say it would be resolved with a future software update, it has yet to be determined when exactly that will be. Apple users are growing tired of the waiting and with a company as technologically advanced as Apple, you would think they would be faster at resolving this issue. It will be interesting to see just how long this takes or if people will ultimately give up and switch to the technologically better, but far less popular Android.

How to Avoid Senioritis

With the semester halfway over, almost all seniors are coming down with senioritis. It’s easy to catch and almost impossible to get rid of, at least in my case. With projects and tests piling up towards the end of the semester, winter break seems entirely out of reach. Here are some tips to help ward off this nasty “disease”.

1.     Keep a planner – A planner can help with time management and guarantees you never miss a due date (well it should anyways). In my case, keeping a planner and writing down assignments and keeping my schedule planned out helped me to easily prioritize my time. I can schedule school and work, and also give myself some free time.

2.     Maintain organization and focus – As difficult as this may seem, it is still important to focus on the last year you have left. We’ve all been focused on graduation for 3 years now and don’t need to give up now that it is finally in sight. When asked about senioritis, a University of Utah ethics professor said, “If students can recognize the onset, then they need to find the necessary mental discipline to overcome it by concentrating even harder on their academic tasks.” You need to make an effort to stay organized. Find a motivator that works and stick to it.

3.     Take care of yourself – While it is important to still focus on your studies, it is equally as important to take care of your body as well. Staying healthy and active throughout the semester can help to motivate you academically. Getting enough sleep can have a huge impact on the rest of your day. Many people, myself included, have pulled all-nighters, but that shouldn’t become a habit.

4.     Make a post-grad bucket list – Even though a lot of us already feeling like we’re “adulting”, I know it will be a whole new world when we graduate. Come up with a bucket list of things you want to do or accomplish once you have the time (and money) after graduation. Work should be a priority in the real world, but you should also allow yourself time for fun and that can be a huge motivator senior year leading up to that.

Ways to Save Money on Food in College

Being in college, there are a lot of sacrifices we make to avoid depleting our bank accounts. As someone who has lived off of Ramen for a week because my bank account was next to nothing, I understand that when it comes to buying groceries, it is important to shop smart. Here are some helpful tips to save money on food while on a college budget.

1. Plan your meals ahead – People, along with myself, have wasted so much food simply by not planning out what you are realistically going to eat. If you were to write out what you are having, you could shop from that list and avoid over-shopping or just going out and picking something up because you don’t like anything you have at home.

2. Learn how to shop – Go into the grocery store with a list already prepared, that way you know what you are shopping for. I had a bad habit of going to the store with nothing in mind and picking up whatever appealed to me in that moment. By learning what you want to shop for and looking at the different brands that offer the same items, you can save a lot of money. Purchasing the generic brand instead of the name brand cuts cost and virtually tastes the same.

3. Shop with coupons – This is a new thing for me. I would sometimes look at what was on sale, but mainly I just got what I wanted. If you look at a grocery store’s weekly catalog or even go to their mobile app at their uploaded coupons, you can save them and help to pick out your weekly menu based on what is on sale for the week.

4. Cook with a buddy – As someone who hates leftovers, I have a problem cooking for one. I love to try new recipes, but they are always for multiple people and I have tons left after I eat. I have learned to shop and cook with my roommates, which helps in the cost for ingredients and decreases the amount of food that gets wasted.

5. Get a slow cooker – I am constantly busy with class and work, and sometimes I don’t have the time to spend an hour making a meal and will end up going out. I recently invested in a slow cooker and it has changed how I can prepare meals. In the morning before class, I can just stick something in and come back a few hours later with a prepared meal.

How to Prepare for a Post-Grad Interview

As seniors, we are constantly being asked what our plans are after graduation and if we have a job lined up already. Interviews are bound to happen, but do we really know what industry professionals are looking for? Here are a few tips to set yourself apart from others desperate on the job hunt as well.

1. Do your homework – Researching the company or organization you are interviewing for will let employers know you are not only serious about the job, but also serious about their brand. Do not just read the website. Read business magazines, online sources, even those who have some kind of contact with the company and ask them questions beforehand.

2. Bring past papers/projects to sell yourself – When interviewing, you are essentially trying to prove to an employer why you are a better fit above others for the job. By bringing papers and projects you have completed in school or internships, you have physical evidence of the quality of work you can provide.

3. Develop adaptable stories from your resume related to your aspiring job – Each person coming in for an interview will have a resume. If you can describe a situation or example from a point on your resume, it will demonstrate you understand the importance and impact of your personal contributions.

4. Frame your answers to show how you will add value to the company – Instead of figuring out what you will get out of this job during the interview, focus on what you bring to the table and why this organization needs you as a member.

5. Prepare some “go-to” questions – Everyone can prepare questions for the end of an interview, but if you show knowledge about the company and demonstrate you prepared in advance, you can easily set yourself apart. There is a big difference between “Tell me about….” or “I read that your company is…how will that affect…?”

Once the actual interview process is over, it is vital to reach out and send a thank you to the employer for their time and for seeing you. Add in a small point that professionally articulates why you would be a great fit to their company. Hopefully these tips help as we are all about to start this stressful process and move into the real world!