Ebay Deal!

(This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a commission when you make a purchase. Thanks for your support!) 

Still trying to rein in your spending, but not sure how to do it?

I'm begun posting ebay deals here, and plan to continue on a regular basis, that will help bring costs down.

Today's deal is PERFECT for ex-pats pining for a Starbucks brew! 

I personally don't drink Starbucks coffee, but I know a lot of ex-pats all over the world really miss it. So today I went searching for a way to help a friend, and here's what I found:

You can buy Starbucks coffees on ebay! There are a variety of sellers with a huge range of prices, but the more affordable ones also include free shipping!

Check out the screenshot on the left here - you can find this listing at https://ebay.to/2RmPwKq -- This deal happens to be for Ground Sumatran Coffee (Starbucks), but you can find plenty of other varieties there as well!

So, go ahead, get your Starbucks fix even in Israel, with a simple ebay purchase! Your coffee will be on its way! 

Find other ebay deals here, and deals from all over here

Follow my blog (or like or follow me on Facebook) for more ebay money savers for Israelis, coming soon! If you have items you love to buy on ebay, let me know at ester@kosherfrugal.com !

Happy savings!

iHerb Promo Code - Limited Time Only!

Right now you can get 10% off any order at iHerb!

Use code JULY31 in your shopping cart before checking out.

In addition to immediate savings, you will also get a 10% Loyalty Credit based on your total order value, that they can use towards your next iHerb order! (I really like this Loyalty Credit thing, it's great!)

In addition to the Brands of the week that are 20% off, all hand and body lotions are 15% off, so this is a good time to stock up on brands that rarely go on sale!

And of course, as always, first time customers who use any of the links on this page to start shopping at iHerb will get a $5 credit in their cart!
  
But Hurry! This coupon code is only good until Friday, July 31st, at 10 a.m., Pacific Time. 
I know, some of you want to know more about my iHerb obsession and some of the things I buy from them. Check out this post that will tell you more about that!

Book Sale! (Free Worldwide Shipping!)

It's the annual Better World Books "Dog Days of Summer" Sale!

Right now, save 15% when you buy 5 or more Bargain Bin Used Books!

We always love to take advantage of these sales to get some of the hundreds of books on my family's wish list!

We also really love FREE Worldwide Shipping - it makes it a whole lot easier for an English speaking book lover to live in a non English speaking country!

So don't wait - catch the sale before it ends.

Sale ends Tuesday, July 26, 2016 at 11:00:00 AM EDT.

If you're not sure if a book is on sale, check for a sale tag on the product page, like this guy right here: .

 

Calling Overseas/Free US Phone Numbers (Money Saving Tip)

Over the years, I've tried out several ways of keeping in touch with my family and friends in the USA. When I first came to Israel in the early 90s I bought those ridiculous Telecards with 1000 or more yechidot on them! Later I bought prepaid minutes that I accessed via a code and PIN number, that I used from my phone line in my apartment. But life is different now, and we all have celphones, most of us have smartphones. Some plans even include unlimited overseas calls (my latest one does)! But the One Thing I've avoided doing is buying a 100 shekel a month phone plan that includes a US number! Instead, I've always looked for other, lower cost, options.

I've tried out various video chat software, as well as VOIP services.

So here's what I know about calling the US and getting a FREE U.S. phone number for people to call me on:

MagicApp - I use this one a lot. For about $20 a year, you get your own permanent US phone # (it works on Android and iPhone/iPad as long as you have internet service). We also have one on a device that is the "free App" - we pay nothing for it. This free version of the app can call phones in the US and Canada for free, and each person we call will get a different number that displays for them on their caller ID. BUT they can call us back using that number (it is my dedicated number that works ONLY from that specific line) anytime they want, from that phone line! And for them, it's a local number, so they don't have to pay anything extra to call me! It's a bit annoying not to be able to give out a specific number, but rather to have to call first and have each person save a different number into their phone, but it works!

Another service I've heard a lot about is Talkatone. Apparently, you get a free US phone number and a limited number of free outgoing minutes per month. Incoming calls are always free. It sounds like it's worth checking out!

You can also easily go the The Play Store (or if you have an iPhone, the Apple Store - iPhones are way out of my price range, though!) and check for apps that provide this service and give some of them a try. There are a whole bunch to check out and see which works well for you! A quick search for "free us phone number" on my phone showed these results (and many more):

Let me know if you have a favorite one - I'd love to know which.
I hope this helps some of you out there. I know my family in America is really happy to be able to call a local number to talk to us. I'm sure yours will be too!

P.S. Yes, I finally got a smartphone. But I got a no-name one like this for about $60. It usually does what it should do and I didn't have to spend a fortune on it!

Some shopping thoughts

When someone offers to bring something from the USA for me, I have to think VERY carefully before making requests. Luggage space has become so precious that I really don't want to waste the opportunity on something that won't feel is significant!

I currently define significant (for this purpose) as: 1. A noticeable savings on something relatively expensive, and 2. Things that are very difficult to find here or not available at all.

As I'm organizing my thoughts for the latest person who's offered to transport stuff, I decide to write a list of items I think are worthwhile bringing over from America. This is a pretty long list, and I'm REALLY trying to keep it short, but even so, it is obvious that this list cannot be gotten all at once. Thankfully, I don't need everything on the list every time someone comes!

List 1 (Noticeable savings on expensive items):

Shoes for everyone in the family (I love finding deals on 6pm!)
Probiotics
Lego sets/pieces
Baby Gifts
Vanilla Beans
Maple Syrup from Costco
Dancewear
Athletic Equipment
Deodorants
Small electronics and accessories
Underwear 
Sunscreen (usually we get the generic ones from Target)

List 2 (Hard to find in Israel):

Neosporin
Lactaid pills (preferably Ultra-Lactaid) ge
Benadryl tablets, liquid, and cream
Aquaphor
Odor Eaters products
Roach and Ant Control Products
Sudafed
Good food containers - disposable type
Good food containers - thermos type
Cayenne Pepper
Good Raisins
Canned Salmon
Ziploc bags 

I've left a bunch of things off this list that I DO find are cheaper in America, but I can easily order them from online stores like iHerb or Vitacost or Better World Books so I don't need to use valuable luggage space for them. You can see my iHerb list in my post dedicated to that! I also left off some really heavy or bulky items that ideally I would get, but their size or weight makes it impractical.

So now that you know what I'm mulling over, I will let you chime in with your ideas -- and I'm going back to trying to really hone in on the most important parts of this list! (I am definitely ordering shoes for nearly everyone!) Please leave a comment below with your favorite items to buy abroad!

And since this time, the offer is to bring a whole piece of luggage over for us (at no extra cost, how awesome is that?!), I've got my handy 1 lb duffel bag waiting for them!

*this post contains affiliate links, thanks for your support!