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!

And if you love to read, check out books by these Israeli authors:

Sara Halevi

Einat Shimshoni

Leona Samson

Daphna Horowitz

Heather Dean

Tzippi Moss

Daniella Levy

Fern Reiss

Yael Unterman 

Rebekah Saltzman 

Hillel Penrod & Ayelet Hashacher Penrod (or Kindle books here)

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!

Save on your Expat tax preparation!

If you're an American ex-pat like me, you know all about the yearly headache of filing your overseas tax return. Currently, this is something most of us MUST do, even if we don't like it. There's just no getting around it for now - no matter how much we complain (maybe one day it will change!). And because of the complexity of navigating tax documents issued to comply with Israeli tax law (as opposed to US tax law), it is usually NOT recommended to use automated software for filing your overseas tax return.

Or so we thought. But as of last year, there's SimpleTax – the first ever U.S. tax software for Americans living in Israel. I've had a long chat with the founder of the company, and they've worked so hard to make this service available (it's designed to work in a way that standard tax software doesn't) and I'm super excited about this development. 

SimpleTax will walk you through a friendly and intuitive interface to prepare your U.S. taxes on your own, find your highest possible refund and save money on fees - starting as low as 299₪ for a tax return + FBAR.

If your taxes are more complicated, you will most likely pay a higher rate, but still MUCH lower than the quotes I've gotten from accountants recently.

This is going to change our lives. Mostly because staying tax compliant will now be so much simpler and cheaper!

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)

SimpleTax is also on Facebook and has plans to help US citizens in Israel navigate financial issues better. You can be sure I'll be following them and waiting for more helpful developments.

So spread the word that in 2023 we'll be doing our taxes smarter and cheaper! Use my referral code to get a great 10% discount: 

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

Spa Days and Other Deals

This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission, but never at any additional cost to you! Thanks for your support!

Sometimes it's just the right day for a treat, for yourself or for someone else, you know?

Give yourself or someone else a pampering break with one of these spa deals (these are day packages that do not include a hotel stay unless stated explicitly in the deal)!

Dan Panorama Tel Aviv - Massage + Spa package, starting at 199 NIS per person! Limited time offer so go ahead and buy it right now if you want it!

Daniel Hotel Spa (Dead Sea) - spa packages for 2, starting at 389 NIS!

David Hotel (Dead Sea) - spa packages with breakfast or lunch at the hotel, starting at 219 NIS per person

Spa Day + Hermon tickets at the Panda Resort (Neve Ativ) - this package for 2 people includes breakfast, massages, spa access, tickets to the Hermon, and other extras, for 990 NIS

Hof Gai Hotel (Tiberias) - Spa package - starts at 295 NIS for one person

Here are some ideas for pampering yourself or a loved one, for less than 100 NIS:

Salt Room treatment (in the Krayot) - 29 NIS for one time, 79 NIS for 3 times

Gift packages from Sabonella - starting at 59 NIS

Manicure at Pure White Cosmetics (Dizengoff Center) - starting at 55 NIS

Hope you found this helpful!

Have a great day!

            -Ester

Coupon Code for TODAY only!

 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! 

It's the tenth of the month, and that means that if you shop online using an Israeli mastercard, you can potentially save a lot of money today.

Here are some of my favorite deals, be sure to enter code MASTERCARDAY at checkout to get your savings!

Aliexpress - with the code you'll get $5 off your $35 purchase

Wallashops - with the code you'll get 100 NIS off your 990 NIS purchase

Groo - with the code you'll get 30 NIS off your 99 NIS purchase

iHerb - with the code you'll get 10% off your $60 purchase

There are other deals out there, too! Happy Savings!

FREE things!

Sometimes we all need to chill, and it's great to have some options for free entertainment!

Obviously, everyone knows about the myriad of free parks and places to explore around the country (don't worry, they're easy to find!), but sometimes I want to stay at home and chill and watch a movie.

But movies are not usually available for free! There are a lot of "free" steaming sites that are not actually free - they might only show a trailer, or they might give your computer a virus! 

So many of us pay for access to online content - it's the best way to get full access and avoid delays and viruses...

But did you know that sometimes there really are legit ways to watch for free?

Check these out:

Watch 4,000+ free movies online at Open Culture 

Access 1,000+ free audio books at Open Culture

Access free educational resources at Open Culture

There are also courses and other opportunities at Open Culture - definitely something to check out.

Check out this website for access to free movies available on a vairety of paid websites - they often have a promo with a free movie. This site shows you what's available for free access right now.

You might also want to check out this guide to the best safe and legal streaming sites: Click HERE

I'm sure you've got your own favorites for free movies and shows - drop a comment below and let me know which one you like!

Some of my favorite recent purchases

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. I'm posting some of my favorite recent Amazon purchases:

5-pack of 64GB flash drives for a great price! (right now over 30% off the regular price)

Box of 90 Gallon-size freezer bags (I can't find these for anywhere near this price near me!)

Pimple patches. The reviews are in - these seem to work miracles. And the price is awesome!

Second Skin patches. These are THE BEST thing for blisters. And right now, they have a great price!

Allergy medicine. I stocked up on this Kirkland brand version so that I could save a little money (it works out a little cheaper than what Kupat Cholim charges me for this number of this kind of pills)

Bamboo toothbrushes. Eco-friendly AND super affordable!

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!

Discount Admission, Tickets, Pizza, and more!

 This post contains affliate links. This means I may get a small commission if you click on a link and make a purchase, but there is no additional cost to you! Thanks for your support!

This post is all about Winter Entertainment! So if you're planning any outings, this post should be your FIRST stop, for some great discounts! Enjoy!

Want to get a great deal at Pizza Hut? Buy this voucher for a personal pizza with one topping for just 26.90! CLICK HERE to buy the voucher!

Outdoor Activities:

Strawberry picking Pre-purchase. Buy your voucher now for Tut Lavi and use it when they open for the season in January. Entrance for 2 and 1 500g basket of strawberries to take home is 39 NIS with this deal. You can buy additional strawberries for a reasonable fee (15 NIS for 500g) while you're there. CLICK HERE to buy the voucher

Chai-Kef in Rishon for just 33 NIS. CLICK HERE to buy this voucher

Chanukah at Mini Israel. For the best deal, choose the one that includes the Ninja Park and the show! There's also a family ticket (for 4 people). CLICK HERE to buy this voucher

Play at iClimb in Park Hayarkon in Tel Aviv, for 49 NIS per person. CLICK HERE to buy this voucher

Akko Extreme Park for 89 NIS. CLICK HERE to buy this voucher

Jerusalem Botanical Gardens for 35 NIS. CLICK HERE to buy this voucher.

SHOWS:

Circus Tickets - Catch the Neon Show Circus during Chanukah, at various locations around the country. Check dates and times carefully before you buy! CLICK HERE to buy this voucher

Bravo Circus "Adventures in the Mysterious Forest" over Chanukah, at various locations around the country. Check dates and times carefully before you buy! CLICK HERE to buy this voucher

Watch the show "It's raining Sufganiyot" this Chanukah, at various locations around the country. Check dates and times carefully before you buy! CLICK HERE to buy this voucher. You'll get the best deal if you buy 3 or more tickets.

Find more discounts for shows HERE 

Indoor Activities:

Bowling at Arbel Bowling Lanes (various locations), starting at 34 NIS per game. CLICK HERE to buy this voucher

Bowling at Babylon Park in Jerusalem, 2 games for 40 NIS. CLICK HERE to buy this voucher

Gravity Park in Jerusalem, starting at 33 NIS (different prices for different ages). CLICK HERE to buy this voucher.

Funtopia/iClimb deals: Rishon Letzion, for 49 NIS. Kfar Saba for 45 NIS. Haifa, starting at 30 NIS. Manara (Kiryat Shmonah) for 45 NIS.

Biblical Museum of Natural History (Bet Shemesh), starting at 35 NIS. CLICK HERE to buy this voucher.

MyNinja Park in Modiin, for 45 NIS. CLICK HERE to buy this voucher.

Looking for something specific? Let me know what you're planning and I'll try to find you some deals!

Just ask in the comments or drop me a note in my Facebook Group!

iHerb Weekend Sale: 22% off Vitamins with coupon code (details inside)

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!

עברית למטה

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: 22% off SITEWIDE! CLICK HERE to load the discount into your cart.

If it doesn't load automatically, enter code QEJ101first and then promo code 22VITA 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!)!

(code 22VITA is valid until December 19, 2022 at 10:00 AM PT)

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:

Teas

Lip balm 

Specialty sea salt grinders 

Witch Hazel Toner

Concentrated Laundry Detergent 

Unscented Compostable Dryer Sheets

Witch Hazel Cleansing Pads 

Stridex acne control pads 

Cocoa Butter Lotion 

Dental Floss 

Pain Relief Cream (the athletes in my house like this one a lot)

Makeup Remover

Aquaphor

Maple Syrup Granules 

Made Good Granola Bars 

Cheddar Cheese Powder

Your order of $60 and up will usually qualify for FREE Global Air Locker shipping!

Don't forget these important, basic principles of shopping online from Israel:

• 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.

I was so excited when my order came to $74.64 after the discount was applied, and with free delivery! Talk about maximizing savings while avoiding import taxes! I hope you're just as successful!

Enjoy and happy savings!

יש לכם הזדמנות עכשיו לקבל הנחה על כל האתר של אייהרב! התחילו את הקנייה עם הקישור למטה, שמקודד להעלות לסל שלכם 2 קודים שיתנו לכם ההנחה המקסימלית!

קבלו 25% הנחה על קניית ויטמנים באייהרב עכשיו

מוגבל למימוש אחד ללקוח/ה

הזינו קודים

QEJ101

22VITA

אחד לאחר השני בסל לפני סיום הרכישה

(ולרוב גם תקבלו משלוח חינם עם גלובל אייר לוקר עם מוסיפים מוצרים כדי שסכום הרכישה

יגיע ל$40)!

תהינו!