The keywords of this February were gripping books, adventurous time and educational value as AEGEE-Tartu has decided to organize a Bookish February. Therefore we have plenty of great recommendations for you to find your next read in both English and Estonian!

Non-fiction: Science

1. “Atomic Habits” – James Clear
2. “21 Lessons for the 21st Century” – Yuval Noah Harari
3. “Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!” – Richard Feynman
4. “Our Inner Ape: The Best and Worst of Human Nature” – Frans de Waal

Non-fiction: Psychology / Personal Development / Self Help

1. “Thinking, Fast and Slow” – Daniel Kahneman
2. “Maybe you should talk to someone” – Lori Gottlieb
3. “The Charisma Myth” – Olivia Fox Cabane
4. “How To Win Friends and Influence People” – Dale Carnegie
5. “15 invaluable laws of growth” – John C. Maxwell
6. “Feel the fear and do it anyway” – Susan Jeffers
7. “The Art Of Not Falling Apart” – Christina Patterson

Non-fiction: Spirituality

1. “Integral Life Practice” –  Ken Wilber
2. “The end of Your World”  – Adyashanti 

Sci-fi

1. “Never Let Me Go” – Kazuo Ishiguro
2. “Ready Player One” – Ernest Cline
3. “Dune” – Frank Herbert
4. “A Fire Upon the Deep” – Vernor Vinge
5. “Neuromancer” – William Gibson

Fantasy: Children’s novels

1. “The Secret Garden” – Frances Hodgson Burnett
2. “The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents” – Terry Pratchett
3. “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” – J. K. Rowling

Fiction: Young Adult

1. “All the Bright Places” – Jennifer Niven
2. “The Exact Opposite Of Okay” – Laura Steven

Fiction: Fantasy

1. “The Alchemist” – Paulo Coelho
2. “1Q84” – Haruki Murakami
3. “The Name of the Wind” – Patrick Rothfuss

Fiction: Magical realism

1. “Kafka on the Shore” – Haruki Murakami
2. “One Hundred Years of Solitude” – Gabriel García Márquez

Fiction: Cultural

1. “Submission” – Michel Houellebecq

Historical fiction

1. “City of Thieves” – David Benioff

Fiction: Thriller / Horror

1. “My Sister, the Serial Killer” – Oyinkan Braithwaite
2. “The Picture of Dorian Gray” – Oscar Wilde
3. “The Silence of the Lambs” – Thomas Harris

Estonian literature

1.  “Vaikuse hääl” – Jaan Tätte (“The Sound of Silence”)
2.  “Mandala” – Tõnu Õnnepalu
3.  “Sinine sarvedega loom” – Andrus Kivirähk (“Blue animal with horns”)
4.  “Külvajad ei tulnud tagasi” – Baghiš Hovsephjan
5. “Kuidas alustada investeerimisega?” – Kristi Saare (“How to begin with investing”)

We hope these recommendations will help you find inspiration and joy either by revisiting an old favorite book or discovering something completely thrilling and new. At the end of the day, reading opens the door to the world of knowledge! 

Last month we focused our theme on the topic of finances with the goal to educate and inspire our members to make smarter choices with their money. We shared many tips and tricks, reading and podcast recommendations, apps to track your finances, sidehusteling options, cheap but delicious recipes for budget meals and a lot more! We also had a wonderful mini-workshops event where some of our members shared their knowledge on different topics such as cheap cooking and grocery shopping, upcycling, saving up on water and electricity, budget travelling and financial fallacies.

 

In today’s blog post we want to share with you the essential ways to save money daily as a student. So keep on reading because hopefully you’ll find some new ideas to implement in your life! 

 

First off, here are some clever tips to consider if you want to spend less money on food and shopping:

1. Plan and prepare your meals beforehand for a longer period of time (the whole week for example).
2. Additionally, try not to do groceries every day but plan in advance, so you won’t end up buying snacks or unnecessary food daily.
3. Try to go to the shop with a full stomach, so you won’t buy anything you don’t need!
4. Use e-shops for buying groceries if possible to track your shopping list without emotional buying.
5. Consider wisely what you eat: it is cheaper to make porridge than a sandwich in the morning for example.
6. If you are not able to eat homemade food on some days, look for lunch offers and happy hours (päevapakkumised.ee/tartu)
7. Consider growing your own edible plants and herbs, such as basil, onion, parsley or tomatoes.
8. Bring your own coffee/water in a thermos to avoid buying expensive from a cafe or shop.
9. Make plans and calculations before your more expensive purchases and do not settle for the first option because you might be able to find cheaper alternatives.
10. Ask for discounts because some places might have special deals for certain people

 

It is also possible to save up with your lifestyle choices. Here are some ideas to consider!

1. Prefer inviting friends over, to eating at fancy restaurants – you can cook together and chill afterwards.
2. Using an ISIC card as a student gives you discounts both in Estonia and also when travelling around Europe.
3. Think twice before you buy something – do you really need it or is it just an emotional purchase? PS! you do NOT have to buy something only because it’s discounted.
4. Always prefer quality over quantity, whether it be buying clothes or household utensils, because it will last longer and also is more sustainable.
5. Share your accounts (e.g. Netflix, Spotify, Disney+) with multiple friends or simply watch videos from YouTube or Jupiter for free.
6. If you need something (books, clothes, household gadgets etc) try borrowing it from your friends/neighbours.
7. Buy your stuff from second-hand or recycling shops, moreover set certain days when you do your shopping so you won’t spend money too often.
8. Plan your cultural events and travels as much ahead as possible, that way you can find early-bird passes, discount deals and much more.
9. You can work out at home for free or try discounted/free group trainings offered to students at gyms or The University of Tartu Academic Sports Club.
10. Try upcycling and using your available resources to maximum capacity – you probably have clothes or similar items that could be given a new life.

Perhaps these lists inspired you to change some of your financial habits or sparked new ideas on how to up your saving game even more. Good luck and happy experimenting!

 

Article composed by: Aulika Laagus, edited by: Liisa Õunpuu