Recipe - Homemade BBQ Sauce

 This post contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you.

You've probably stumbled across this blog post because you're trying to save money, or because you love Israel, and I'm so glad you're here - welcome!

Here we are, in late May of 2025, and I can't possibly be the only one noticing those grocery bills creeping higher, right?

It seems like each week I have to adjust my expectations - item after item, prices are going up, and I adjust my shopping. And I'll be honest, I don't want to spend every moment of my day doing food prep, but I also don't want to spend more than I've budgeted, and I don't want to have to give up too much to stick to the budget! It's a tough spot to be in.

So while I've always made some things from scratch, I have begun to make a few more things from scratch.

This week, I made a large batch of chummus with a high percentage of techina, and stashed a lot of it in my freezer packaged in convenient portions for single-meal use. And you know what? I really don't think I'm going back to supermarket chummus - this homemade stuff is so much better (and healthier!), and the hardest part is remembering to put some chickpeas up to soak the night before. 😆

But this post isn't about chummus, it's about another favorite that I have stopped buying: BBQ Sauce. The supermarket options that are affordable have ingredients I don't actually want to eat, and we didn't love the way they taste, either. So I decided to make my own.

Using tomato paste, brown sugar, maple syrup, spices, and vinegar - I think it came out good!

Here's what I did:

Take out a mixing bowl and silicone spatula. Put the following in the bowl:

240g of tomato paste (this is the larger tub option in the supermarket, not a big can) half a cup of water 1/4 cup dark brown sugar 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 2 teaspoons maple syrup, but you can use honey if you prefer 2 teaspoons smoked paprika 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper 1.5 teaspoons granulated garlic pinch of salt (or more!), to taste hot pepper flakes and/or smoked hot pepper, to taste All amounts are approximate, and can be adjusted!

Mix well. If you're using this as a marinade before cooking, you don't even need to heat it up before using it. If you want to serve it as a sauce at the table, I recommend heating it in a pot on the stove until it's been heated all the way through. Don't use a high flame, it will bubble and make a mess! You can throw in a pinch of baking soda when warming it if you want to reduce the acid a bit.

Use a silicone spatula to help scrape it out of the pot into a jar or bowl for serving or storage.

Enjoy!

Find me on Facebook

If you want to find (and share!) shopping deals, please join my deals groups on Facebook: 

Kosher Frugal

Israeli Shopping Overseas 

Live in Israel, Shop Online 

Israel Deals Made Easy (in English) 

I'm also on WhatsApp with an opt-in group where you'll get links to deals I find. Only admins can post.

iHerb Sale Codes for You!

This post contains affiliate or rewards program links. This means I may receive a small commission if you click on a link and place an order, never at any additional cost to you

עברית למטה

Recently, iHerb ended one of our favorite site-wide sale codes for orders shipped to Israel, so it's become more important than ever before to watch out for category or brand specific sales for your iHerb purchases!

Here are the sales I found right now: 

20% off Vitamins - use this link to get started! 

Brands of the week - use this link to get discounts when you purchase any products from the 16 brands of the week!

Sale change all the time! I'll try to find more codes and update when I can!

TIP: Get free shipping if you order $60 USD or more, but keep your order total under $75 to avoid taxes and import fees.

קבלו 20% הנחה על ויטמינים באתר של אייהרב עכשיו! הקליקו כאן כדי להכניס את הקופון לסל הקניות!

אם הקודים לא עולים אוטומטי לסל הזינו את הקודים

QEJ101

ואז

MAY25VITA

ותקבלו את ההנחה!

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)!

במקרה ואתם מעדיפים לקנות מאתר ישראלי, אני ממליצה לבדוק את מבחר הויטמינים של קי.אס.פי!

תהינו!

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.

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 love to see how close to $75 I can get without going over, and get free delivery to maximize savings while avoiding import taxes!

Enjoy and happy savings!

If you prefer to buy from Israeli sites - check out KSP's selection of Vitamin products!

Free Museum Day May 2025

Sorry for the late post, but you need to know that TODAY, Thursday, May 15, 2025 is FREE Museum Day in Israel!!

There are 130 participating museums - - there's something for everyone!!

Find the full list here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OODjyjgAIf9xdgrTIHhYdroiLXFda6wb/htmlview

Let me know where you decide to go!

Have fun! 

Getting Travel Ready? Save Some Money!

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

Shoppers in Israel, and many other non-US locations, this is for you! If you're getting ready to travel, you might have noticed that it's not always easy to find travel size products here. It was always pretty easy in the USA when I lived there (though it's been a while), so I was checking for options from there that ship here.

And guess what? I found that the best deals are bulk deals - so either stock up for several trips at a time, or split this order with a friend or two!

I found these toothbrush/toothpaste packages, or ones that are similar and also have a flosser, and also little mouthwashes! These make traveling easy - I never want to get stuck without a toothbrush, you know?

If you want, you can even get Cetaphil face cleanser in travel size, and antiperspirant/deodorants for both men and women. 

OR, if you don't want to buy in bulk, you could choose this convenient 10-piece convenience kit for traveling, which has lots of essentials.

I also highly recommend you get lightweight luggage so you can maximize your packing space.

Let me know if this is helpful!

Feel free to share with anyone who might be interested!

Find me on Facebook

If you want to find (and share!) shopping deals, please join my deals groups on Facebook: 

Kosher Frugal

Israeli Shopping Overseas 

Live in Israel, Shop Online 

Israel Deals Made Easy (in English) 

I'm also on WhatsApp with an opt-in group where you'll get links to deals I find. Only admins can post.

Replace your old 2G/3G "dumbphone" now - before it stops working!

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

Image from the public domain

This is important for people who use older non-smartphones in Israel. The older cell networks (2G and 3G as far as I understood), are being RETIRED and will stop working. This means your phone will stop working if it uses those cell networks and not the newer ones. The bitter truth here is that means you will need to get a new phone if you want to have cell service.

So if you're set on keeping your status as a "non-smartphone user", I'm happy to share that you can currently get a "dumbphone" that works on the 4G network for under 200 NIS! If you prefer a flip-phone that can be had for under 225 NIS right now! Go get them now before they run out!

Click here for option 1

Click here for option 2 

Of course, you can take this opportunity to upgrade to a smartphone if you prefer.

There are so many options, you can even find a Samsung phone in any price range starting at about 350 NIS! Hope this helps someone out there!

Feel free to share with anyone who might be interested!

Find me on Facebook

If you want to find (and share!) shopping deals, please join my deals groups on Facebook: 

Kosher Frugal

Israeli Shopping Overseas 

Live in Israel, Shop Online 

Israel Deals Made Easy (in English) 

I'm also on WhatsApp with an opt-in group where you'll get links to deals I find. Only admins can post.