Tuesday, December 3, 2024

Subsidized Glasses


Residents of Northern Israel - it's back! Here's another chance to get a really affordable eye exam and glasses!

This week - Thursday, December 5, 2024 from 11:00AM - 7:00PM, you have a chance to get subsidized eye exams and glasses, this time at the Kinar Hotel in "Ulam Golan" (on the Kinneret). You'll be able to get a pair of glasses: frames + lenses - for just 150 shekels, and sunglasses for 50 shekels! Note: additional fees will be charged for complicated prescriptions, multifocals, etc (but will still be much less than the standard cost for these glasses). 

FREE sunglasses are available for chayalim (no need for an ishur/asmachta)!

Please bring your glasses if you just need new glasses with the same prescription as your old ones, OR if you have a written script for your new prescription, bring that in order to save time. If you don't have an up-to-date prescription, you can have an eye exam done there, but there may be a line. Children under 12 should bring their prescription.

Please note: Glasses are not made on the spot. You will receive a text message when they are ready to be picked up.

Hope this helps some of you out there! 

Be sure not to miss out on more ways to save money - find me on Facebook!

P.S. I am not affiliated with the organizations sponsoring this or any similar events. I was not compensated to post this information. I received a press release, and have passed this information on as a public service.

Monday, December 2, 2024

Games I found on Sale - check 'em out!

This post contains affliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This will not cost you any extra.


Looking for ways to connect with friends, family, and others?

It's a great day to buy those games on your wish list! Games are a really great way to spend time together as a family, or with friends, or even with a group of people you need to get to know better. 

(Prices can change at any time) At the time of posting, all of these games participated in FREE shipping to Israel with a $49 order, and all are marked down. But prices can change at any time.

Exploding Kittens 

Don't Flock Up

Wizards, Dragons, and Unicorns

Who Can Do It

Outrageous

The Super Fun Family Time Game

Letterpool

Yell Spell

Spill

Pick Six

Banned

Kids Against Maturity

Murder of a Millionaire

Snatching Pears

Charty Party

Cancelled

Werewords

Dead Grandma (card game)

Reigning Unicorns

Trekking the National Parks

Evenfall strategy game

Throw Throw Burrito

Taco vs. Burrito

Hues & Clues

And so many more!

More deals coming later - let me know what you're looking for! I love to hear from you!

If you want to find (and share!) shopping deals, please join my deals groups on Facebook (Kosher Frugal is a public group with limited moderation, Live in Israel, Shop Online is a moderated group, and Israel Deals Made Easy (in English) is also moderated) and WhatsApp (the WhatsApp group is an opt-in group where you'll get links to deals I find. Only admins can post).

Excusive Discount!

This post contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. Thank you for your support!

It seems to be shopping season. Everywhere I turn, I see more stores looking to make sales (obviously!), and since we all want to support Israeli businesses, I thought this would be a good time to remind you about this local online English bookstore - Eva's Used Books!

Eva's got a great selection of previously owned books in good condition, albeit in limited quantities, and it's definitely worth checking out her shop if you need books.

Besides being necessary for self-preservation, books make great gifts, too. AND another thing I love is that Eva's is all about sustainability - used books are good for the environment and for our wallets!

And on top of the already great prices on this site, I've got an exclusive discount to share: Get 10% off your order with code KOSHERFRUGAL (A little gift to you from me and Eva)! 😀

As far as shipping goes - orders over 75 NIS ship FREE within Israel! This could just change our lives - because I still CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT BOOKS (yes I have the mug!).

Happy reading!

Thursday, November 14, 2024

Great Aliexpress finds!

This post contains affliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This will not cost you any extra.


My favorite Aliexpress finds of the day - there are big sales going on!

1. Lego Star Wars set for about 44 ILS (53% off regular price)

2. Lego Star Wars set for 58 ILS (almost 60% off regular price)

3. Lego Minecraft set for about 50 ILS (almost 60% off regular price)

4. Lego Disney Brickheadz set for about 72 ILS (almost 60% off regular price)

More deals coming later - let me know what you're looking for! I love to hear from you!

If you want to find shopping deals, please join my deals groups on Facebook (Kosher Frugal is a public group with limited moderation, Live in Israel, Shop Online is a moderated group, and Israel Deals Made Easy (in English) is also moderated) and WhatsApp (the WhatsApp group is an opt-in group where you'll get links to deals I find. Only admins can post).

Wednesday, November 13, 2024

Very simple chocolate yeast cake (vegan)

It's baking shortcut time!
Who loves chocolate yeast cakes (think: Chocolate Babka and the like)?!

Well, we're big fans of them around here, but sometimes I have no time or patience for kneading and rising. 

That's where this super simple, cheater version of a chocolate yeast cake comes in!
It's so easy and I even avoid making dirty bowls -  I just mix it AND bake it in a baking pan!


Recipe:

1 3/4 cups flour (I used white spelt)
1 Tablespoon dry yeast
4 Tablespoons sugar
pinch of salt
2.5 Tablespoons oil (I used sunflower oil)
3/4 cup warm water
Your favorite chocolate spread (small jar - I use anywhere from 1/2 - a full jar, depending what I have in my pantry)
1/3 -1/2 bag chocolate chips/chocolate chunks
oil for the pan

What you do:
Oil a 9 inch round baking pan or something that holds a similar amount (there are medium size - long but narrowish, not as narrow as "English cake" disposable foil pans - that work) - I used sunflower oil spray.

Place flour, yeast, sugar, and salt into the pan and mix. Make a well in the middle and add water and oil. Mix everything together with a spoon until well combined - it will be a very sticky dough. Spread it out in the pan. Scoop chocolate spread on top of the dough and then use a spatula or spoon to swirl it into the dough. Sprinkle the top with chocolate chips.

Put the cake into a cold oven and then turn the oven to 175 C. Bake for about 30 minutes. Cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting it!

Enjoy with coffee and please let me know if you try it out. I love to hear from you!

If you want to find shopping deals, please join my deals groups on Facebook (Kosher Frugal is a public group with limited moderation, Live in Israel, Shop Online is a moderated group, and Israel Deals Made Easy (in English) is also moderated) and WhatsApp (the WhatsApp group is an opt-in group where you'll get links to deals I find. Only admins can post).

Monday, November 11, 2024

GREAT iHerb sale today (Nov 11) - Don't miss out!

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: 


Get 24% Off Sitewide Through Nov 12, 2024 at 10:00 AM PT:

Use Reward Code QEJ101 and promo code 24DOUBLE!! - Just copy and paste them into your cart, one at a time, OR Click here to load the discount into your cart automatically!

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

Witch Hazel Toner 

Vitamin E Moisturizing Cream 

Plant-based (coconut milk based) Caramel 

Hand Sanitizer (great size for your bag!)

Lip balm 

Concentrated Laundry Detergent 

Unscented Compostable Dryer Sheets

Witch Hazel Cleansing Pads 

Stridex acne control pads 

Cocoa Butter Lotion 

Dental Floss 

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

Aspercreme pain relief products (conventional)

Makeup Remover

Aquaphor 

Scar gel

Maple Syrup Granules 

Made Good Granola Bars (allergy friendly!)

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!

אם הקודים לא עולים אוטומטי לסל הזינו את הקודים
QEJ101
ואז
24DOUBLE11
ותקבלו ההנחה המרבית!
רק וודאו שהסל הסופי יוצא ללא מיסים - צריך להיזהר מאוד שאחרי הקודים הסל יורד למתחת ל$75 - סף המע"מ


(ולרוב גם תקבלו משלוח חינם עם גלובל אייר לוקר עם מוסיפים מוצרים כדי שסכום הרכישה
יגיע ל$60)!

תהינו!

Sunday, November 10, 2024

Tips from an Amazon shopper.

 this post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using one of my links, I may receive a small commission, but it won't cost you extra!


Shopping on Amazon from Israel?

Here are some of my favorite tips:

Order only when you can get free shipping, or, if you have to pay for shipping, if the product you're ordering is not available in Israel and you REALLY need it, (but ask around - sometimes shipping can double your cost and then if it IS available in Israel, it may pay to buy it here).

Check for price drops! I save lots of items into my cart and check back later, sometimes the price goes down!

Always check for deals and coupon codes! Click here for your coupon section 

Paying with your Israeli credit card? You may be able to get 10% off on the 10th of the month with code MASTERCARDAY. 

Always check the International Free Shipping section - click here to go to International Free Shipping 

Don't be shy if your order doesn't arrive by the date promised, reach out to Amazon customer service. They'll help make it right! I got a $5 credit last time my order was delayed.

Keep your orders under the taxable threshold. Amazon will calculate your taxes, starting at $75 USD. If you're buying something that's taxable, shop around a little locally first!

Happy savings!

Looking for ways to shop on Amazon and support Israeli businesses? CLICK HERE

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

UPDATED: Buy Blue & White from Overseas (with the convenience of Amazon)

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!

This is an UPDATED post for my friends and followers and everyone outside of Israel, who love Israel and want to support the people here, i.e. "Buy Blue & White".

If you're here in Israel looking at an item on Amazon that DOESN'T ship to Israel - I've got great news for you! You can order items to a Shipito address and have them ship it to you! And just in time for your upcoming Prime Day purchases, you can get 10% off your international shipping when you shop on Amazon and send your purchases using Shipito. Just enter the code PRIMEDAY24 at checkout. This limited-time offer runs until July 31, 2024.

It's become SUPER easy to support some Israeli businesses from outside of Israel! So I'd like to help everyone stand in solidarity with Israel with this "Buy Blue & White" guide.

So many companies make it easy to buy their products from the USA - especially those with Amazon storefronts (and many ship to other countries too)!

I'm happy to share some options with you - all of the items listed below are a great way to support an Israeli-owned business and still have the convenience of shopping online! I'm sure there are lots more options, but in the meantime - here are the ones that I know of: 

(I hope to keep adding to this list)

Buy Israeli wines (free shipping on 12 or more bottles and $15 off your $200 order with code KW15)

Many Israeli products - art, jewelry, etc - are available at judaica.com (use the link to begin your purchase AND use code SHOP10 for an extra discount)

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! Also from Emmanuel: Chanukah Kippot, Jerusalem Kippot, painted wooden kiddush cup and coaster, "Yeled Tov/Yaldah Tovah" hammered stainless steel kiddush cups, hammered nickel kiddush cups, and colorful candlesticks.

Buy beautiful jewelry from Paz Creations. Also NanoStyle and Happy Lolli.

Refael Jewelry Designer sells handmade jewelry from Israel.

Also check out embroidered jewelry boxes.

Nurture your plants with a LeGrow planter set

Display your love of Israel with these Jerusalem-themed ArtTrivets.

Display beautiful Israel on your wall with an Israel Photo Art Calendar!

Decorate your home with beautiful wooden Wall Art from Tohar Design Store, or a fun Chanukah table runner, or a painted washing cup.

If you love music, check out Day of Rest for something different.

Buy Israeli spices from Izrael Zaatar Ltd and bring the flavor of the shuk into your kitchen (BBQ Grill mix, Galilee Stir Fry Seasoning mix).

Try out Israeli herbal/fruit teas: Golan blend or Louisina make great choices.

Get your kids moving and exploring with Israeli-owned Nona Kid pretend play, outdoor play, and fitness equipment for kids.

Check out the whole line of Qurious educational toys and games.

You can even support an Israeli business when you buy non-Israeli products from an Israeli reseller. They buy items wholesale and list them for competitive prices on Amazon. For example, handbags from BSD Merchant.

And, on another note, you can always support Israeli businesses directly: For an interactive Israel-themed online escape room experience, be sure to check out the games at bagelsandlocks.com!

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

Hebrew Edition, by The Layers Press (Author), Rachel Sharansky Danziger (Author), Anne Gordon (Author), Shira Lankin Sheps (Editor)

101 Treasures from the National Library of Israel, by Raquel Ukeles (Author), Hezi Amiur (Author), Yoel Finkelman (Author)


By Light of Hidden Candles, by Daniella Levy (Author)



The 36: A Modern Quest in the Ancient Holy Land, by Josh Even-Chen (Author) (a long-time friend of mine!)

The Scrolls of Deborah (Desert Songs Trilogy), by Esther Goldenberg (Author)

The House of Lost Spirits, by Einat Shimshoni 

Harei At M'guyeset Li, by Segulah Levi (Hebrew novel)

Tully and the Pellmells (Tully Grows Up), by Leona Samson (Author), Idan Ben Simon (Illustrator)

Tales of Brooklyn, by Stan Fischler (Author)




Organized Jewish Life: The Essential Guide for Planning Jewish Holidays, Events and Every Dayby Rebekah Chaifetz Saltzman

Organized Jewish Life Shabbat and Holiday Planner: The Ultimate Organizational Shabbat and Jewish Holiday Checklist and Planning Workbookby Rebekah Chaifetz Saltzman

A Warrior's Guide to Fibromyalgiaby Sara Halevi 

Everything Tracker - The Ultimate Comprehensive CBT Tool Kitby Sara Halevi MA (Author), Liora Sophie (Illustrator)

The Breast Cancer Checklistby Fern Reiss

The Publishing Game: Publish a Book in 30 Daysby 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 Landby Joel Chasnoff & Benji Lovitt

Nehama Leibowitz: Teacher and Bible Scholar (Modern Jewish Lives)by Yael Unterman

The Hidden of Things: Twelve Stories of Love & Longingby Yael Unterman

The Street Cats of Nahariya by Jennifer Pyatt (Author), Aya Navot (Illustrator)

White Zion, by Gila Green (see all of her books here, and pre-order the newest one!)

Iconic Jewish Women: Fifty-Nine Inspiring, Courageous, Revolutionary Role Models for Young Girlsby Aliza Lavie (Author)

Getting Ready for Shabbat! Let's Make Soup! (Getting Ready for Jewish Holy Days), by Chaya Bluma Gadenyan

Girls' Names from the Hebrew Bible: A Children's Bilingual (Hebrew-English) Coloring Bookby Chaya Bluma Gadenyan

The Adventures of Incredi-Wheels & Triple S: The Mysterious Missing Bookby Rebecca Rubin Seligson

Storky's Journey Homeby Nachshon Meir Spiegelman

The Lazy Investor: How to Set a Profitable & Hassle-free Investment Portfolioby David Mann (Author)

Tribal Lands: The Twelve Tribes of Israel in Their Ancestral Territoriesby Tamar Weissman (Author)

The Koren Tanakh: Esther (English and Hebrew Edition) (Graphic Novel Format) by Jordan Gorfinkel (Creator), Yael Nathan (Illustrator), Jessica Sacks (Translator)

Not in the Sky: A Collection of Modern Midrash or Biblical Spoken Wordby Rose Isabel Tempest (Author)

THE CAVE OF THE HEART (Kuntres Maarat Ha-Lev): A Treatise on Jewish Contemplative Prayer, by Nachman Davies (Author)

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!