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Thursday, March 23, 2023
Pesach Preparations!
Tuesday, March 21, 2023
iHerb discounts!
This post contains affiliate or referral links. This means if you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!
iHerb is one of my favorite ways to find products that I can't get in Israel. Or products that may be available in Israel, but at inflated prices.
Right now, there's this sale: 20% off Beauty, Bath and Personal Care! CLICK HERE to shop this sale! You can also get up to 40% of Oral Care - click here to check it out!
If you're shopping for other things, you can get 10% off anything if your order total is $60 or more, if the coupon doesn't load automatically, just enter code QEJ101 first and then promo code GOLD60 to get the discount (please be sure to apply both coupon codes even if it tells you that you can only use one! You'll get the best discount your eligible for and I'll get credit for referring you. Win win! THANKS!)!
Need some ideas for your iHerb order?
Here are just a few things I recommend - several of these are eligible for the extra discount! I'd love to hear what your favorites are:
Concentrated Laundry Detergent
Unscented Compostable Dryer Sheets
Pain Relief Cream (the athletes in my house like this one a lot)
Your order of $60 and up will usually qualify for FREE Global Air Locker shipping!
- Keep your order under $75 to avoid paying VAT!!
- Spread out your orders. If you want to buy more than $75 worth of items from one website, and you have the option of splitting your order - DO IT. BUT don't order more than $75 worth on any given day to the same shipping name/address/ID. If you do, customs may combine your orders and charge you. Give it about 3 days between orders. Best to ship to a different name using a different ID for customs, so you can order it all on the same day.
- Always look for the free shipping option - usually it's to a pickup spot.
Monday, February 20, 2023
Discounts for a Day Out in Teverya (Tiberias)!
This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission if you click a link and make a purchase, but it will NEVER cost you extra!
Planning a day out in Teverya? "Groo" (formerly Groupon Israel)'s got ya covered!
Here's the plan:
First, pick up your vouchers for a spa day at the Cesear Hotel - they'll cost 169 NIS for one person, or 329 NIS for 2 people. The pass gets you into the hotel's spa facilities, including a thermo-mineral pool, sauna, and exercise room. Plus, your choice of breakfast or lunch!
Then, after you're all relaxed and re-energized, you can enjoy a nice steak dinner at El Rancho just a few minutes from the downtown boardwalk (far enough away to forget the hustle and bustle of it)! Here's a discount voucher that gets you their classic menu for 2 for 199 NIS - it's always a favorite!
End your day with an overnight stay at the Donna Gracia Hotel for just 399 NIS for 2 people, including breakfast the next morning! The hotel is very centrally located and you can take a tour of the small museum dedicated to the life and story of Donna Gracia.
Total: under 1000 NIS for a full getaway for 2, including a hotel, 3 meals, and a spa day!
CLICK HERE TO GET THIS HOTEL DEAL
CLICK HERE TO GET THIS RESTAURANT DEAL
CLICK HERE TO GET THIS SPA DAY DEAL
Enjoy!
Want to share savings, frugal tips, and more, PLUS hear great ideas from others? Be sure to join my Facebook group!
Sunday, February 12, 2023
Discount Restaurant Vouchers!
Here's a deal for Sushi platters in Ramat Gan!
CLICK HERE TO BUY THIS VOUCHER
Eating out in Netanya? Here's a deal for 2 at Casa Julia (mehadrin)!
CLICK HERE TO BUY THIS VOUCHER
Thursday, February 9, 2023
Thinking about Pesach. And shopping, already.
This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you! Thanks for your support!
You probably know I'm a pretty price-conscious shopper. I really try hard to make my shekels go as far as possible, so I'm a pretty picky shopper. I try to pair great deals with coupon codes (don't forget about the mastercard savings you can get on the 10th of the month) and save as much money on my purchases as possible.
Here are some great things you might need to set up your home for Pesach -- without overpaying!
2-pack large, washable tablecloths
Stainless steel baking pans (multi-pack)
Stainless steel cookie sheets (2-pack) - currently at its lowest price in 30 days!
Get all the deals in my groups: Israel Deals Made Easy and Live in Israel. Shop Online, and my new public group, Kosher Frugal)!
Things to know about ordering from Israel: Shipping takes time, but lately, my orders have, for the most part, arrived well ahead of schedule - they seem to be building in a lot of extra delivery time to cover worst-case scenarios, but most packages arrive much faster.
Amazon's prices change frequently but they're really great about letting you know if an item in your cart has changed price - so if you found one and deliberated about it, you'll know if something changed when you decide to complete your purchase.
Sometimes free shipping offers disappear, so please check carefully before you order. Just remember - you can avoid VAT and other import fees by staying below the $75 tax threshold for any single order! If you do go over, as you will if you're buying a computer, you will see exactly what you'll pay in taxes at checkout. I only do this if I'm actually buying a product that costs more than $75. And I don't add any other small things to these orders, because once you're over, you're over and you'll pay fees on the entire order.
For smaller purchases, I place separate orders that each total under $75.
If you're in the USA and buying a gift for someone in Israel, please follow those guidelines, too - or be prepared to prepay all taxes and fees. You'll see them before you checkout, so don't worry about surprises. You will need to enter the recipient's ID number at checkout too, so the package can clear customs.
Hope you found this helpful!
Sunday, January 29, 2023
Versatile Vegan Cake Recipe
This post contains affiliate links. This means that I may receive a small commission if you click on a link and make a purchase, but at no additional cost to you! Thanks for your support!
I love having simple cake recipes I can throw together in just a few minutes! Because let's face it - we're all really busy people who just want to bring yummy food to the table for our families, with minimal fuss and minimal stress, right?
This recipe is so simple, it can be mixed in the pan you're baking it in - just be sure to whisk it well! If you've been using disposable baking pans, I highly recommend this awesome set of 6 stainless steel baking pans (2 of each of 3 sizes)! They even ship (free to Israel (and other locations) with a $49 USD order. (I just bought them for Pesach for myself - for year round I had found a different deal, but this deal is so much better I just had to share!!) I'm trying really hard to use real pans instead of disposables, and lately, I have bought a LOT fewer disposable pans! Less waste and lower expense over the lifetime of a pan! Win-win, as long as I can handle washing a few more dishes. And yes, yes I CAN do that!
(Pictures here are from cakes I made before I bought new cake pans. Sorry)
Here's the cake recipe I've been making almost every week, and it is easy to adapt to different flavors (see notes at the end of the recipe).
My family is always happy to see this cake, as are my guests, and no one knows it only took a few minutes to make!
Vegan Vanilla Cake
1.5 cups flour (I use white spelt or whole spelt flour, but wheat flour should be fine)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vinegar
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup water
1/4 cup oil
If you want, you can mix this in a bowl and transfer it to a greased or lined pan, OR mix right in the baking pan according to these instructions:
Use an 8" round cake pan/can also be square or rectangular - it works perfectly in the smallest of the pans in the set mentioned above. Mix together dry ingredients (with a fork) right in your baking pan. Push the dry ingredients toward the outer edges of the pan, pour the wet ingredients into the middle and mix gently but thoroughly (gently so you don't make a mess) - best to use a whisk but you can use a fork. Once it's all combined, smooth it out, add in whatever add-ins you want (use a spatula to gently fold them in) and you're ready to bake the cake!
Bake at 190 C for about 50-60 min.
Variations:
- Leave out vanilla and use 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger, and 1/4 tsp cloves for a Spice Cake
- Add 2 mashed bananas and 1 cup of chocolate chips for Banana-Chocolate Chip Cake
- Make a cinnamon streusel topping (I combine half a cup of flour with half a cup of sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 2 Tablespoons of sunflower oil) and swirl it into the batter for a Cinnamon Coffee Cake
- Swirl cherry jam into the batter for a Cherry Cake
- Add 1/3 cup of cocoa powder to the batter to make chocolate cake. Top with chocolate frosting if you're so inclined! I sometimes just break apart a bar of chocolate and leave it to melt on the still-warm cake, then spread it around with a silicone spatula. It makes a great chocolate "icing"/
I love making this cake because it checks all my boxes:
EASY
ALLERGY FRIENDLY (no dairy, eggs, or nuts!)
IT DOUBLES EASILY to make a larger cake for a crowd (use a lasagna size pan, or the largest pan of the set I mentioned above!)
I hope you love this cake recipe as much as I do!
Please share this post with your super busy friends who still want to cook from scratch! I know it's counter-culture but there are people out there who like to cook from scratch and take shortcuts! I can't possibly be the only one!
Sunday, January 22, 2023
Buy Blue & White from Overseas
This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission, at NO additional cost to you! Thanks for your support!
Today's post is for my friends and followers outside of Israel, who love Israel and want to support the people here, i.e. "Buy Blue & White".
It's become SUPER easy to support some Israeli businesses from outside of Israel! So many companies make it easy to buy their products from the USA (and probably other countries too)!
I'm happy to share some options with you - all of these items are a great way to support an Israeli-owned business! I'm sure there are lots more options, but in the meantime - here are a few I'm happy to share, and I hope to keep adding to this list:
You can make your own seltzer (carbonated water) using the iconic Sodastream machine. Or buy beautiful Judaica items, like an Emanuel mezuzah case or chanukiyah, or even a great Havdallah travel set!
Other ways to support Israeli businesses: buy a beautiful sterling silver necklace (or other jewelry), or a LeGrow planter set. If you love to display your love of Israel, consider these Jerusalem-themed ArtTrivets or an Israel Photo Art Calendar! If you love music, definitely check out Israeli artists - check out Day of Rest!
For an interactive experience, be sure to check out the games at bagelsandlocks.com!
Organized Jewish Life: The Essential Guide for Planning Jewish Holidays, Events and Every Day, by Rebekah Chaifetz Saltzman
Organized Jewish Life Shabbat and Holiday Planner: The Ultimate Organizational Shabbat and Jewish Holiday Checklist and Planning Workbook, by Rebekah Chaifetz Saltzman
A Warrior's Guide to Fibromyalgia, by Sara Halevi
Everything Tracker - The Ultimate Comprehensive CBT Tool Kit, by Sara Halevi MA (Author), Liora Sophie (Illustrator)
The Breast Cancer Checklist, by Fern Reiss
The Publishing Game: Publish a Book in 30 Days, by Fern Reiss
30 Jewish Superheroes: An Amazing Collection of Jewish Superheroes (Coloring book), by Hillel Penrod (Author), Ayelet Hashachar Penrod (Editor)
15 B'nei Noah Superheroes Coloring & Activity Book: Heroes from Around the World! | Color, Read, and Learn to Draw Your Own Hero, Torah Comics Paperback by Hillel Penrod (Author), Ayelet HaShachar Penrod (Editor)
Inner World (Kindle book) by Hillel Penrod (Author, Illustrator), Ayelet HaShachar Penrod (Editor)
Israel 201: Your Next-Level Guide to the Magic, Mystery, and Chaos of Life in the Holy Land, by Joel Chasnoff & Benji Lovitt
Nehama Leibowitz: Teacher and Bible Scholar (Modern Jewish Lives), by Yael Unterman
The Hidden of Things: Twelve Stories of Love & Longing, by Yael Unterman
I'm so lucky: A life full of love, by Yael Unterman
The Street Cats of Nahariya by Jennifer Pyatt (Author), Aya Navot (Illustrator)
If you want to be added to this list, please email me at ester@kosherfrugal.com!
Thanks for supporting Israeli businesses! Let me know if you found this list helpful, and feel free to share it with all of your friends!
Tuesday, January 17, 2023
Save on your Expat tax preparation!
I invite you to find more details at SimpleTax. If you use my referral link (the links to SimpleTax on this site are referral links), you'll get 10% off your first tax return! If for some reason you can't open the link, simply copy-paste this link to go to their site: https://simpletax.co.il/register?referral=KOFRU. Or go to their site on your own and be sure to enter my referral code (KOFRU)
MY-CODE: KOFRU
OR CLICK HERE
מידע חשוב עבור אזרחים אמריקאים שגרים בארץ: הגיע פתרון שיחסוך לנו הרבה כסך!
החל מהשנה, אפשר למלא דו"ח מס אמריקני עם חברת סימפלטקס - ותראו חסכון אמיתי!
אפשר לחסוך עוד יותר עם מכניסים את הקוד שלי בעת ההרשמה. ההרשמה ללא עלות - רק תצטרכו לשלם עם משתמשים במערכת לדווח. השתמשו בקוד KOFRU ותקבלו 10% הנחה.
או הקליקו כאן: https://simpletax.co.il/register?referral=KOFRU