AUTHOR: MERILIIS KIVIMÄGI
If someone had told me in my freshman year that the most stable “investment” of my life wasn’t ETF* or a high-intrest savings account, instead a small plastic card called ISIC, I would have laughed (plot-twist I am not laughing anymore). Or, well, I would have rather made a price comparison table and asked: “What is the yield?”
Now, as an economics student, I can honestly say that this card is an irreplaceable asset class for me. Cash flow improves, expenses decrease, and quality of life increases. Classic win-win.
*ETF / Exchange-Traded Fund: an exchange-traded fund that pools many investments (e.g. market indices or sectors) at once and can be bought and sold like a stock, at a price that changes throughout the day.
Monday – Apollo Cinema and Macroeconomic Self-Deception
I went to the cinema again on Monday. €5.99 student ticket (for Apollo Club members)… and I lied to myself that it was “for learning”.
I analyze the structure of narratives – that is, how the story is built: conflict, rising events, climax, resolution… all that stuff that doesn’t really save the economy, but sounds smart. It’s investor psychology, right?
Actually, it's simple: when the cinema is half the price, I feel like Warren Buffett, the legendary value investor and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, who buys stocks when others are panicking — or “buys the dip.”
IT students next door: “I only came here because the popcorn machine is acting like a server I want to hack.”
Tuesday – TalTech Sport and my cheapest healthcare reform
Economists say that health is capital.. I say that TalTech Sports semester card 25€ (or free exercise class) is capital amortization minus chance of dying while exercising.
Training week pattern:
- I enter proudly, because I have an ISIC.
- I do 10 minutes on the treadmill, 10 minutes on the bike, 15 minutes on the rowing machine, 15 minutes of yappingand I feel like a productivity influencer.
- I walk into the shower and say "Today was a recovery workout."
Sometimes in addition I use:
- Adidas Running apps 3 months free premiumto measure ROI in sweat drops.
- Strava -50%, which makes my training schedule more beautiful, although the pace resembles the schedule of a potential economic crisis.
If I want a change:
- YogaHub (first month free)
- MyFitness (joining 0€)
- 24/7 Fitness (-20%).
Engineers at the same time: “Can someone measure the force arm vector so that my squat would be at an optimal angle?” Naturalists: “Is the organism designed to run at all?”
Wednesday – YogaHub and mental balance (which lasted 7 minutes)
The free trial at YogaHub was beautiful. The studio is beautiful, the people are beautiful, even the color of the mat was beautiful.
Me? Like a broken macrograph.
In other words: imagine an economic graph that should show beautiful, stable growth... but suddenly comes:
- sudden falls (my motivation),
- unexpected jumps (my anxiety),
- lateral drifting (my ability to concentrate),
- and complete confusion (my thoughts after three hours of lecture).
Just the kind of graph that would make even macroeconomics professors scratch their heads.
But free = an intangible asset whose value is only appreciated by the heart (and wallet). PS: Anything with ROI = “I feel better afterwards” goes on the balance sheet as an intangible asset.
Thursday – Ronimisministeerium and Existential Crisis on the Wall
I got -25% at the Ronimisministeerium and climbed the wall like a hungry student who wants a scholarship for life.
Up there, in the middle of the wall, I was already thinking macroeconomically:
- If I fall, what is my risk? exposure?
- If I don't fail, will my risk tolerance increase?
- Is this capital accumulation?
Spoiler: I fell. But the ticket was cheaper, which reduced my emotional loss.
IT student next door: “Can I get my climb on GitHub ?Naturalist: “Could gravity pause for a few seconds?” (Answer: no.)
Friday – O’Leary’s -50% and the collective financial illusion
Bowling -50%. Shuffleboard -50%. Billiards -50%.
Everything is perfect… until someone says: “We’ll take the fries too.”
Economics student rule #1: When you save money, you spend it right away - so that the balance sheet balances again.
In parallel, engineers calculate how many degrees the ball must change its angle of fall in order to get astrike.
Saturday – Elroni -30% and romance on train lines
If you need to drive somewhere, Elron. -30% makes even the Tallinn-Tartu drive romantic, because:
- you can look at nature from the window,
- read a script (or pretend to read),
- to think of your life as indie-film character.
And the savings… sometimes they are so real that I can buya croissant. Maybe even two.(Inflation determines.)
For longer trips I use 10–15% discount on Lux Express – convenience doesn't have to be a luxury. In some countries, it means getting what you save for your money. cappuccino...in some just a napkin, in Sweden a piece of ice. But the principle is important.
One of my favorite discoveries was Homestay. Accommodation with locals, where you see life as it really is – not through a hotel filter. With ISIC -50% it felt like an official invitation to go and discover the world without your wallet crying after the first night. Plus, you see life from a completely different angle: morning coffee in an old-fashioned kitchen, family jokes, local recommendations that Google doesn't show… As a student, it all feels luxuriously authentic.
Having BEST or ESN contacts abroad always helps too 😉
Sunday – Adobe, Office, and all those platforms that make me more productive… theoretically
- Office 365 free (thank you TalTech, you are my anchor).
- Adobe -60% (feel like a creative director).
- Coursera ja Skillshare (free period – so I only use the period).
- Unity Student Plan (I always think I'll make a game... But I don't.)
- SAP Learning Hub (sounds very smart on my CV).
- IDAGIO – ideal when you need a classic to make a macro textbook seem 0.5% more inspiring.
- Komoot Region Bundle – free voice control and offline maps both in Estonia and abroad. Perfect if your map reading skills are as bad as your sleep cycle.
Merit Aktiva + Merit Palk – completely free accounting heaven.This is a hardcore economics student's dream: do your own (or your friends') accounting like a little CFO. Employers look at your CV and think: “Ahhaa… this is where you can get the person.”
Do I use all of them? Of course not. I'm a student, not a supernatural being. Like any student - I surrender to optimistic planning.
Summary: How one card makes my student life cheaper and my financial analyst soul more at peace
IISIC is not just a card — it is:
- the students private financial stimulus,
- small shock absorber between personal economic crises,
- balance between my pocket and huge expectations,
- and sometimes even a lifeline, if you want to enjoy life, but the money is… well, student money.
How can I stay informed about the next months' offers?
Easy:
- download the ISIC app — it's like a compass of benefits,
- follow @taltechue and @isicestonia on Instagram
- and also keep an eye on the TalTech's Juulius blog.
Have a successful end of the semester and approaching the session! 🎓✨
