Digital Helpers for a Smarter Everyday Life – 7 Useful Apps for making life easier
Kira Zabe
October 15, 2024
In a world full of tasks, deadlines, and goals, it's crucial to find ways to optimize daily routines to stay organized and reduce stress. The right apps can help you manage everything from fitness and mental health to financial planning and household organization. Whether you're working on developing better habits or managing your budget, these six apps will empower you to live smarter and more efficiently.
1. Homerockr – Everything about home management under control
You surely know the feeling: there's always something to do at home, and it's easy to lose track. Checking smoke detectors, cleaning gutters, unclogging drains... all these to-dos that weigh on your mind. Homerockr provides a solution by reminding you of maintenance and upkeep tasks with numerous templates – including those that are easily forgotten. Also handy are the guided home inspection for visual checks and the project planning for larger home projects. This way, your home stays well-maintained, and you get the satisfaction of knowing you've thought of everything.
Features: Templates for home care and maintenance, guided visual inspections, planning of home projects
Who it's for: People who want to get the mental load of managing their home out of their mind
2.YNAB (You Need A Budget) – Take control of your finances
Managing money can seem overwhelming, but with YNAB you can create a budget that fits your lifestyle. This app helps you give every dollar a job, so you're prepared for every expense that comes your way. With tools for setting savings goals, debt management, and planning for the future, YNAB changes the way you handle your finances, promotes better money habits, and helps you achieve financial security.
Features: Budgeting, financial planning, and goal settingWho it's for: For anyone who wants to take control of their finances, save more effectively, or manage debt.
3.Habitica – Turn your life into a game
Would you like to turn everyday tasks into a fun, motivating experience?Habiticatransforms your to-do list and habit tracking into a game where you earn points and rewards for completing tasks. Whether it's about daily habits, long-term goals, or project milestones, Habitica helps you stay focused and productive by making work playful. Plus, you can join group challenges for even more motivation.
Features: Game-based task management and habit trackingWho it's for: For those who struggle with procrastination or are looking for a more entertaining way to stay productive.
4.Forest – Enhance concentration and stay productive
If distractions keep disrupting 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 collaborates with organizations that plant trees, so your focus also contributes to reforestation in the real world.
Features: Focus and productivity tracker with environmental impactWho it's for: For anyone who wants to reduce distractions and improve concentration while contributing to the protection of the planet.
5.Headspace – Mental Wellbeing and Mindfulness
Taking care of your own mental health is crucial, and Headspace provides the tools to help you incorporate a sense of calm and mindfulness into 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 experienced in mindfulness practices.
Features: Guided meditations, stress reduction, and sleep programsWho it's for: Individuals looking to improve their mental well-being, manage stress, or establish a meditation practice.
6.MyFitnessPal – Your Personal Nutrition and Fitness Tracker
If you're aiming to keep an eye on your health, MyFitnessPal is a must. This app helps you track your calories, macronutrients, and even your workouts. With a huge food database and the ability to log meals and exercises, it offers a comprehensive method to monitor your fitness journey. You can even sync it with wearable devices like Fitbit or Apple Watch to get a complete picture of your health.
Features: Calorie counting, nutrient tracking, and workout logsWho it's for: For anyone who wants to maintain a healthy lifestyle, track fitness progress, or manage weight.
7.Smantry.App – Organize your pantry, reduce waste
If you're tired of food spoiling before you can use it, the Smantry.App can help. This app keeps track of your pantry, fridge, and freezer, 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 to plan meals more efficiently and reduce food waste. By organizing your food supplies, you save money and reduce the stress of last-minute shopping trips.
Functions: Inventory management, meal planning, and waste reduction
Who it's for: Anyone who wants to manage their food supply, reduce food waste, and plan meals more efficiently.
With these six apps, you can better control your daily routines, develop good habits, and manage important areas of your life more effectively. Whether you want to increase your productivity, manage your finances, or simply reduce food waste, these tools offer simple, effective solutions to live smarter.
Cooking with the Future: Augmented Reality and Smart Interfaces for Your Recipes
That’s exactly what augmented reality (AR) and smart interfaces bring to the table. They project digital information where you need it most: into your cooking environment. This makes it easier to stay organized, cook more efficiently, and even reduce waste – because less stress in the kitchen often means fewer forgotten or spoiled ingredients.
And here’s where Smantry comes in. The app already helps you keep track of your pantry, avoid food waste, and stay in control of your kitchen. With upcoming features like leftover-based recipe suggestions, you’re already stepping into the smart kitchen future today.
👉 Bottom line: The kitchen of tomorrow is here – and it’s efficient, sustainable, and surprisingly fun.
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.