budget

10 reasons why your next on-campus meal should be at Restaurant International!

Located in H Building, Restaurant International is Algonquin College’s culinary teaching restaurant and a hidden gem of the Woodroffe Campus.

The restaurant offers a wonderful on-campus dining experience while giving students a hands-on learning laboratory that allows them the opportunity to practice and apply the skills they learn in their programs. Menus are created by students and faculty from culinary and hospitality programs in the School of Hospitality and Tourism, and food preparation and dining services are facilitated by students as part of their studies.

The ACX Team had the chance to visit Restaurant International recently and we have 1o very good reasons why you should make it one of your go-to spots on-campus to grab a meal!

1)The prices are unbeatable

Where else can you get an appetizer, main, and dessert for lunch for only $18? Or a three-course dinner for between $20 – $27. Most of the time you’re looking at more than $12 for fast food these days, or even $15 + for a main dish at a local casual restaurant. The value of what you can get at Restaurant International is really hard to beat.

2)Students get 25% off

That’s right! Not only are the prices already incredible for what you’re getting, you also get 25% off as a student!

3)It’s delicious!

Seriously! So good! It can easily be compared to the quality you would find at a casual fine-dining restaurant. Our ACX Team made sure to try a wide variety of the options available, and we were all so impressed.

4)Dietary restriction and allergy friendly!

If you have dietary restrictions this is the place to go! The restaurant takes dietary restrictions very seriously and can make accommodations and adaptations of many of their menu items.

5)You’re helping students learn

This is one of the ways that culinary and hospitality students get real world experience and can practice their skills before entering the workforce. By visiting the restaurant and eating tasty food you are supporting the learning process, so you can pat yourself on the back for your good deed 😊

6)Great for date night & special occasions

Restaurant International recently made some lovely updates to their dining room and paired with their exquisite food and lovely service, makes for a great option for a nice date night or special occasion. If your family comes to visit from out of town, this should be your go-to spot, it’s certain to impress your guests!

7)Also great for everyday

While it’s the perfect spot on-campus for date night, family visits, or special occasions, it’s also relaxed enough for an everyday visit. It doesn’t feel too formal, and the restaurant offers a nice ambiance to grab a tasty meal with a few friends during a break between classes.

8)Lots of healthy food options

If you’re looking for healthy food options, the restaurant has you covered! Get in your servings of vegetables and proteins to help fuel your studies! Being a student is hard work and your brain needs all the fuel it can get! Meals at Restaurant International are made completely from scratch so you can count on them avoiding pesky preservatives and other ingredients that you might find in more processed or pre-prepared food purchases.

9)Local and seasonal ingredients are utilized

The restaurant takes advantage of the wealth of options and suppliers when it comes to sourcing their ingredients. You can always count on seeing seasonal ingredients in meals in addition to some locally sourced products.

10)Dark Chocolate Lava Cake

Four simple words but a scrumptious dessert that alone is worth the trip to the Restaurant. Seriously, get the Lava Cake.

Restaurant International has limited hours in order to fit within timetables and student class times so make sure to check out their website and make a reservation to guarantee your table. Currently, they are open Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday lunches and Wednesday through Saturday evenings. When attending Restaurant International, guests need to be fully vaccinated and provide proof of vaccination along with a photo ID.

5 ways you can support student learning and save money!

At AC there are a few unique experiences offered to students and the AC community at a significant discount! On top of saving money, you’re also supporting other students’ learning experiences!

With each of these learning enterprises, students get the chance to develop their hands-on skills in their area of study under the supervision of professionals. All activities are limited by students’ in-class time so make sure to check the hours and make reservations ahead of time.

Dine in at Restaurant International and get 25% off.

Looking for an exceptionally tasty meal at an incredibly reasonable price? Have you tried wonderful Restaurant International? Located in H Building, it’s our very own Culinary Teaching Restaurant on Algonquin College’s Woodroffe Campus! Students from the School Hospitality & Tourism Programs get practical experience, and we get to eat their delicious work. They are open Wednesdays – Fridays between 11:30am – 12:30pm and 5:30 – 6:30pm and Saturdays between 5:30 – 6:30pm serving choose-your-own three-course meals for only $18 for lunch and $20-$27 for dinner. Students get 25% off their meals, so don’t forget to show your student card! Make a reservation today!

Looking for something to take home instead? Grab something at Savoir Faire, across from Connections: The Campus Store, the Culinary Market that offers baked goods, pastries, and pre-made meals. You can place an order for curbside pick-up or stop by to shop in-person from Tuesday to Friday.

Destress with a visit to the Massage Clinic

Need to ease some stress? Or help ease pain and discomfort? For only $35 a student therapist will provide an assessment, treatment, and even education on self-care in an hour-long appointment supervised by Registered Massage Therapists. Appointments are available Monday – Friday for early evening, book your visit today!

Visit the Salon, Spa & Boutique to pamper yourself at student prices.

Who doesn’t love a little trip to the Salon & Spa? Facials, manicures, pedicures, waxing, haircuts, and various other treatments are available for less than half of what you would normally pay for these services! Visit their website for a full listing of services and to make your booking.

The Hair Salon is now open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 4 pm – 9 pm and Thursdays from 12:30 pm – 5:30 pm until and including December 16, 2021.

The Spa is open on Thursdays from 1:30 pm – 5:30 pm and Fridays 12:30 pm – 4:30 pm until and including December 17, 2021.

Register with the Dental Clinic for ongoing preventive services.

Dental care is important and this is an affordable way to get access to services to keep you healthy and prevent future problems. Services include: oral examinations; cleaning of teeth, oral hygiene and if prescribed: x-rays and application of fluorides. See their website for a full listing of details, and to start the process of becoming a client.

Do you have small children in your life? AC even has an Early Learning Centre!

The Algonquin College Early Learning Centre Lab School provides high quality, culturally-diverse and inclusive programs licensed under the Ontario Ministry of Education. The ELC provides early learning care for: Infants (6 weeks – 18 months), Toddlers (18-30 months), Preschool (2.5 – 4 years old age) children.

Driven by new public health recommendations and the growing impact of COVID-19 variants of concern, Algonquin College has implemented a mandatory vaccination policy for the Fall 2021 Term. You must adhere to this policy to gain access to any of these on-campus services. Click here for more information.

Free Apps You Need to Survive First Year

Food

Screenshots of Tasty Mealime Eat This Much

via Buzzfeed, Inc., Mealime Meal Plans Inc. & Eat This Much, Inc. June 2019 (Click to enlarge)

Tasty/Eat This Much/Mealime

If you’re someone who enjoys cooking, apps like Tasty are full of delicious and dorm-friendly recipes that you can easily whip up between classes. For a healthier alternative, Mealime and Eat This Much have a collection of nutritious recipes and meal prep ideas so you can avoid that famous Freshman 15.

Ritual/Skip the Dishes/Uber Eats/Foodora/Door Dash

For when you’re in the mood to #TreatYourself, you need to check out these apps that connect you to restaurants around Ottawa.

Ritual allows you to order and pay ahead of time so your food is ready for pickup as soon as you get to the store. The app also lets you make group orders and earn rewards with each transaction.

When you’re too lazy to even go to the store, Skip the Dishes, Uber Eats, Foodora and Door Dash all deliver your favourite meals straight to your home and/or campus. Perfect for long study sessions or when you don’t want to get out of bed.

Money

Money

via Splitwise Inc. June 2019 (Click to enlarge)

Splitwise

Anyone who has ever lived with roommates knows how difficult it can be to keep track of who owes what. Tools like Splitwise aim to simplify this by allowing you input shared expenses and keep a running total over time. Now you can settle your balances in one big payment so you don’t have to feel petty chasing after people for $6 for laundry detergent.

Mint

If spreadsheets aren’t really your thing, then Mint is for you. The personal budgeting app connects your account to your banking institution(s) so you can have a better view of your finances. You can set limits for yourself and receive alerts when your spending habits are higher than usual.

Flipp

Flipp gets you one step closer to becoming an Extreme Couponer. You can explore weekly flyers at local retailers, find coupons to save on everyday items, sync your shopping lists, and much more. At first it may seem time consuming, but you’d be surprised at how quickly those couple of dollars in savings add up over time.

Groupon

Before spending money on any activity, the first thing you should always do is check Groupon. From exercise classes, to paint night, to three-course meals, you can always find a bunch of great deals on local goods and services.

School

Trello preview

via Trello, Inc. June 2019 (Click to enlarge)

Trello

As the popular saying goes, there is only one way to eat an elephant: one bite at a time. The same concept holds true when it comes to college. Between exams, placements and assignments, it can be overwhelming to keep your head above water. One way to overcome this is by breaking down each task step-by-step. Project management tools like Trello help you stay on top of your game by organizing your school work into to-do lists by subject or deadline.

Brightspace

Most professors use Brightspace to post digital material, allow communication between students and faculty and conduct assessments. Although you can use Brightspace on any laptop or computer, it’s a great tool to have on your mobile device so you can stay up-to-date on the latest assignments and access course material from anywhere.

WhatsApp/FB/Google Hangouts/Skype

No matter what you are studying in College, you are bound to have at least one group project where these apps will definitely come in handy. Whether you are #TeamiPhone or #TeamAndroid, you and your teammate can share files and have group text/video calls – even if you don’t share the same type of smartphone.

Grammarly

Grammarly helps correct your spelling and grammar while you work and makes suggestions on how to kick your writing up a notch. Although this tool is best used on desktop, you can use their keyboard integration on mobile to make sure you are always putting your best foot forward.

Getting Around

Bus Buddy preview

via BusBuddy – My Appatory June 2019 (Click to enlarge)

BusBuddy/Ottawa Transit/MyTransit/Route 613

Almost everyone in Ottawa can agree that waiting at a bus stop for five minutes in the middle of winter can feel like an hour. Two hours if you are also running late for a class or exam. Do yourself a favour and download one of these apps so you can track the location of your bus in real time. That way you can wait for the bus inside and plan your trip accordingly.

Lyft/Uber

If you are an international student coming to Ottawa for the first time, you may not know of the ride-sharing apps that the nation’s capital has to offer. Lyft and Uber both –offer discounts for first time riders and Uber allows you to split the cost of the ride with your friends to make carpooling easier.

College is a huge life transition, but you have the power to make it easier at the tip of your fingertips. By reading this list, we hope you discovered new ways on how to save money, time and stress. We’ll see you on Campus!

Tips and Tricks: Saving Money – Make Your Cash Last

Listen, friend, we all struggle with money problems. If you’re having a hard time relating to Cardi B’s Money, here’s what you should do.

Budgeting is key

This is probably the most challenging tip on our list, but it’s easily the most effective. It’s all about perspective and discipline. Little changes can make a big difference. Bring your lunch to school or work, make coffee at home, shop with coupons (download the Flipp app to make it easier), live with roommates or your parents, buy things you need rather than things you want.

If you need more budgeting resources, check this out or snag a free template.

Another great trick is the 10% trim method. This is when you find one expense and figure out a way to reduce by 10%. For example, if you buy a specific meal every week, maybe you can save 10% of your money by learning to cook it yourself. Eliminating 10% of your expenses from specific line items will really start stacking up.

Remember, you don’t have to do this all at once. Start by taking baby steps, and it’ll become a habit in no time. Get creative but stick to your budget.

Coupons, discounts, points, loyalty cards…

If retail therapy is harder to quit than you anticipated, we suggest asking about student discounts. Certain stores like Adidas, ASOS, Champion, and even IKEA can take up to 30% off your total. Check out the full list here. No student discount available? Don’t forget the tried and true method of cutting out coupons.

If shopping online is more your style, take a look at the Honey plug-in to make your life a little easier. Honey will find discount codes for you and apply them to your cart at check-out. It’s an easy way to save, and feel a little better about spending your cash.

Don’t forget about groceries! Shopping with coupons is one thing, but why not sign up for rewards programs? These are great opportunities to save money on things you were going to buy anyway. Take PC Optimum Rewards for example. The more points you collect, the more money you save. You can even redeem your points for free groceries!

Man showing his coupons

Take advantage of discount cards, and loyalty programs. If it saves you money, it’s a good idea. A lot of stores accept the SPC card. These nifty, little cards can score you discounts on things like food, clothes, and so much more.

Put your money to good use

You actually need to do something with all the money you are saving. Anytime you cut from your budget you should transfer that cash difference to a high interest savings account (1-2%), tax free savings account (TFSA), or debt payment. Pay off your credit cards, and bills. Buy some decent kitchenware that’ll last you a long time. Get a Costco membership. Invest in some nice business attire you can wear to future interviews. The choice is yours, but be sure to make it a wise one.

Take it easy

With any skill, practice makes perfect. The same goes for budgeting. It’s really, really hard to make your money last. We get it. That’s why we want to help. Life is supposed to be fun, and though you should focus on budgeting, don’t forget to live a little. You’ve got this.