Digital Helpers for a Smarter Everyday Life – 6 Useful Apps for making life easier
Kira Zabe
October 15, 2024
In a world full of tasks, deadlines, and goals, finding ways to streamline everyday routines is key to staying organized and stress-free. The right apps can help you manage everything from fitness and mental health to financial planning and household organization. Whether you're working on building better habits or trying to manage your budget, these six apps will empower you to live smarter and more efficiently.
1.MyFitnessPal – Your Personal Nutrition and Fitness Tracker
If you're aiming to stay on top of your health,MyFitnessPalis a must-have. This app helps you track your calories, macronutrients, and even your workouts. With a massive food database and the ability to log meals and exercises, it offers a comprehensive way to keep tabs on your fitness journey. You can even sync it with wearables like Fitbit or Apple Watch to have a complete picture of your health.
Features: Calorie counting, nutrition tracking, and workout logsWho it's for: Anyone looking to maintain a healthy lifestyle, track fitness progress, or manage weight.
2.YNAB (You Need A Budget) – Take Control of Your Finances
Managing money can feel overwhelming, but withYNAB, you can create a budget that works for your lifestyle. This app helps you give every dollar a job, ensuring you're ready for any expense that comes your way. With tools to set savings goals, manage debt, and plan for the future, YNAB transforms how you handle your finances, encouraging better money habits and helping you reach financial security.
Features: Budgeting, financial planning, and goal settingWho it's for: Anyone who wants to take charge of their finances, save more effectively, or manage debt.
3.Habitica – Turn Your Life Into a Game
Want to turn everyday tasks into a fun, motivating experience?Habiticaturns your to-do list and habit tracking into a game, where you earn points and rewards for completing tasks. Whether it’s daily habits, long-term goals, or project milestones, Habitica helps you stay focused and productive by making work feel like play. Plus, you can join group challenges for even more motivation.
Features: Gamified task management and habit trackingWho it's for: Those who struggle with procrastination or want a more engaging way to stay productive.
4.Forest – Boost Focus and Stay Productive
If distractions keep getting in the way of your productivity,Forestis here to help. The app encourages you to stay focused by planting a virtual tree that grows as long as you don't leave the app to check notifications or browse the web. If you get distracted, your tree withers away. For extra motivation, Forest partners with tree-planting organizations, so staying focused also contributes to real-world reforestation efforts.
Features: Focus and productivity tracker with environmental impactWho it's for: Anyone who wants to cut down on distractions and improve concentration while contributing to a greener planet.
5.Headspace – Mental Wellbeing and Mindfulness
Taking care of your mental health is crucial, andHeadspaceoffers the tools to help you cultivate a sense of calm and mindfulness in your day. With guided meditations, sleep programs, and breathing exercises, Headspace helps you reduce stress, improve focus, and even sleep better. It's an ideal app for both beginners and those with experience in mindfulness practices.
Features: Guided meditation, stress relief, and sleep programsWho it's for: People looking to improve mental wellbeing, manage stress, or build a meditation practice.
6.Smantry.App – Organize Your Pantry, Reduce Waste
If you’re tired of food going bad before you get a chance to use it, theSmantry.Appcan help. This app keeps track of your pantry, fridge, and freezer contents, making it easy to see what you have and what you need. It even suggests recipes based on what’s already in your kitchen, helping you plan meals more efficiently and cut down on food waste. By organizing your food supply, you’ll save money and reduce the stress of last-minute shopping trips.
Features: Pantry inventory, meal planning, and waste reduction
Who it's for: Anyone who wants to manage their food inventory, reduce food waste, and plan meals more efficiently.
With these six apps, you can take control of your daily routines, build better habits, and manage important areas of your life more effectively. Whether you're looking to boost your productivity, manage your finances, or simply reduce food waste, these tools offer simple, effective solutions to help you live smarter.
The best kitchen tools to turn leftovers into delicious dishes 🍲✨
Hand on heart: Each of us has them – those little leftovers in the fridge or pantry that somehow never get properly planned for. But it's exactly these remnants that can often be turned into the most creative and delicious dishes! All you need are a few clever kitchen tools that make the work easier and get the best out of your ingredients.
Here are our favorites:
🥣 1. The powerful blender
Smoothies, soups, dips – a good blender transforms leftover vegetables, fruit, or even bread into a new dish in seconds. Perfect when bananas are a bit brown or the vegetables no longer look crisp.
🔪 2. A sharp chef's knife
Sounds simple, but a really good knife is worth its weight in gold. It allows you to cut vegetable and meat scraps precisely and quickly. Moreover, cooking is just more fun when you have the right tools.
🍳 3. A cast iron skillet
The all-rounder in the kitchen: fried potatoes made from leftover boiled potatoes, frittatas with yesterday's vegetables, or crispy bread cubes from stale bread – everything tastes twice as good in a cast-iron skillet.
🥕 4. Vegetable Peeler & Grater
A modest tool with a big impact: grate carrot leftovers, turn zucchini into noodles, or finely shred cheese remnants. With a peeler and grater, you bring variety to your leftover cooking.
🥡 5. Storage Containers & Screw-top Jars
Without proper storage, nothing works. You can keep leftovers fresh, transport them, or even prepare them for the next meal prepping. Tip: Jars are also great for serving small amounts in style.
🌱 6. Kitchen Scale
It's practical to know exactly how much is left over, especially with leftovers. This way, you can adjust recipes and avoid waste.
🥄 7. Personal Blender
The little brother of the blender – perfect for soups or sauces right in the pot. When only a small amount needs to be processed, it's super convenient.
How Smantry additionally helps you 📲
With the Smantry App you can not only keep an eye on your supplies, but soon you'll also be able to discover recipes for your leftovers. This way, you'll immediately know which tool to take out of the cupboard to save your food and create something new.
👉 Because good tools and the right app are the perfect combo to combat food waste.
New laws on food waste in Spain
Spain has recently passed a groundbreaking law to combat food waste. This law requires all actors in the food chain, from producers to retailers, to implement specific plans to prevent food loss.
Key provisions of the law:
Obligation to donate surplus food: Supermarkets with a floor space of more than 1,300 square meters are now required to form partnerships with non-profit organizations to donate surplus food that is still fit for consumption. These donations are exempt from value-added tax.
Offer of packaging for leftover food: Restaurants and bars are required to provide their guests with free, reusable or recyclable packaging so that they can take home uneaten food. The aim is to raise consumer awareness of food waste and encourage them to take leftovers with them.
Promotion of the sale of products with approaching expiration dates: Retailers should offer products that are nearing their expiration date or have aesthetic defects at reduced prices to encourage their sale and reduce waste.
Hierarchy of priorities for dealing with surplus food: The law establishes an order for handling surplus food. Priority is given to human consumption through donations. If this is not possible, the food should be used for the production of processed products. The last options include using it as animal feed or for energy generation.
Sanctions for violations:
Companies that violate the provisions of the law can expect fines ranging from 2,000 to 500,000 euros.
Critique and Outlook:
While the law is considered an important step in the fight against food waste in Europe, there is also criticism. Some voices argue that the strict framework of sanctions could disproportionately burden companies and that the law does not sufficiently address the role of consumers, who are responsible for a significant portion of food waste.
Nevertheless, the law is seen as a significant advancement in reducing food waste and promoting a more sustainable awareness in society.
Join in and reduce food waste! 🌱📲
Spain's new law demonstrates: Sustainability starts in the pantry! With the Speisekammer App you can keep track of your groceries, plan meals efficiently, and avoid unnecessary waste.
👉 Download the app now and join the movement for less waste and more conscious consumption! 💚 Try it now!
Sharing supplies together – why the Shared Economy is now moving into the kitchen
The concept of Shared Economy has long been more than a short-term trend – it's changing our everyday lives. More and more neighborhoods, shared apartments, and community projects are discovering how practical it is to organize groceries together and manage supplies transparently.
Why sharing supplies is becoming increasingly popular
- Save on costs: Bulk purchases become cheaper when more people participate.
- Save space: Not everyone needs their own package of rice or pasta.
- Better organization: Digital tools make it easy to see what is available.
- Experiencing community: Food brings people together – as does camping together.
From the flatshare to the neighborhood
Especially in shared apartments or families with multiple households it pays off to keep a communal stock of supplies. But neighborhood projects or small communities are also recognizing the added value: shopping, storing, and using together.
How Smantry helps
This is where Smantry comes into play:
- Community Feature: Supplies can be managed collectively.
- Transparency: Everyone can see which items are available.
- Efficiency: Duplicate purchases are avoided, leftovers are used up in time.
- Flexibility: Soon it will become even easier to manage entire communities (including new features such as categories or the option to completely delete communities).
👉 The shared economy doesn't stop with cars – it moves right into your kitchen. With Smantry sharing supplies becomes easier than ever.
At last, it's here: The categorization of articles 🎉
Over the past few months, we have collected numerous feedback from you – and the request for better organization of supplies was one of the most frequent wishes. Soon, it will be possible to sort your items into individual categories, so that you can keep track of everything even more quickly.
Why categories are so practical
- 🥦 More organization in your pantry: Instead of a long list, you can structure your products into categories such as "Vegetables", "Beverages", or "Household Goods".
- ⏱️ Faster Finding: No more long scrolling – jump straight to the right category.
- 👨👩👧👦 Improved collaboration: In communities or family households, everyone can immediately see where things belong.
- 🌍 Customization: You can create your own categories that suit your needs – whether for meal prep, stockpiling, or just your everyday life.
Your wish will become reality ✨
We know how important this feature is to you. That's why our development team has implemented categorization as a high priority. It will soon be available step by step in the app – fulfilling one of the biggest wishes of our community.
We are thrilled that we can make everyday life even easier for you with this. Stay tuned – as always, we will keep you updated on when the feature will be officially released.
👉 Do you already have ideas on how you want to structure your categories? Feel free to send us your suggestions or requests – your input might directly influence the ongoing development.