Low Cost Glasses!

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

Tomorrow, Wednesday, May 22, 2019, the Pitchon Lev Optical is offering special hours for a one-day event. 

You'll be able to get a pair of glasses - frames + lenses for just 100 shekels! There is an option to have this fee waived in case of need, just ask at the event. You can also buy sunglasses, for 50 NIS.

The event will take place at the Pitchon Lev Optical Center, Rechov HaLevona 1, Karmiel. Eye exams are available from 10am - 7pm. 

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.

Some notes from my experience with them: You'll be able to get a pair of glasses (standard frames + standard lenses!) for just 100 shekels! Specialty lenses are subsidized on a different scale (multifocals, for example, will cost about 600nis and transition lenses for most prescriptions will cost 300nis - still a really awesome deal! My high index lenses cost an extra 200nis, the cost varies by exactly what you need), and some frames are a bit more expensive, but still affordable. Subsidies are available - ask the person in charge if you cannot afford the 100 shekel fee.

Please note: Glasses are not made on the spot. Be prepared to go back and pick them up in a couple of weeks.

Hope this helps some of you out there! There's been a lot of discussion about the cost of glasses lately.

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

I'm sure there will be similar programs in other towns - please let me know if you know of any!

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. 

Tashlumim Explained

What you need to know before you pay for something in "tashlumim" (installments) on your credit card:

Welcome to Israel! It's great that you're here. I know life here can be confusing at times, so I'm going to try to help you decode everyday life a bit. Have you noticed how when you shop, you are often asked, "tashlumim?" as you hand over your credit card? Many new olim wonder what on earth this is. So here's a quick rundown of what you need to know:

Tashlumim - Installments - break whatever your total for this particular purchase is into equal monthly installments. You will be asked "how many tashlumim?" and you'll have to choose how many, if you are going this route. So if your bill is 2000nis, and you choose 10 tashlumim, you'll be paying 200nis for each of the next 10 months (as an example). Tashlumim are only available when you use a credit card that was issued in Israel, even if they ask you when you use a foreign card. They just aren't inspecting your card to see where it's from!

Tashlumim are usually interest free. But not always. They can be "Credit" payments that come with a fee and interest (and it will be credit card interest, which is usually quite a high percentage)! Beware of paying water or electric or other bills in tashlumim - they are often "Credit", as is the default at Ikea. Also, at self checkout in Shufersal, you may be given a "Credit" option! This is not regular tashlumim - it incurs fees and interest! Regular tashlumim do not incur a fee, since the BOI stepped in a few years ago and made them free. (That doesn't mean there are no consequences, though, so please read on...)

Tashlumim do not allow you to make a purchase larger than your credit line. Your credit line is set by your bank - and you are not allowed to charge more than that amount on your credit card. Splitting a purchase into tashlumim does not mean that you can use next month's credit line too: Your credit line is finite.

Let's say your credit line is set at 10,000nis. You will be allowed to charge up to 10,000nis and NOT MORE on your credit card in a billing cycle. Then, when the money goes out of your checking account on a preset date (usually the 10th or 15th of the month), your credit line is cleared for more purchases. HOWEVER - if you split a purchase into Tashlumim, your credit line will be tied up. 

Here's how it works - you make a purchase for 5000nis, and choose to pay it in 5 tashlumim. Each installment is 1000nis. But 5000nis of your credit line gets locked away until the purchase is paid off in 5 months! So you won't be able to make another large purchase, if it means you'll exceed the 5000nis in credit line that you have left.

Sometimes paying in tashlumim make sense. Other times, it really doesn't. I recommend never paying in tashlumim for every day purchases - rather, budget appropriately and make sure you're not spending more than you can afford on the every day things. Once in a while, a large purchase comes up, and paying for it using a no-hassle, interest free payment plan (what tashlumim are, in reality) can make life easier. It certainly beats taking out a 5000nis loan to cover an expense. Don't do it all the time, though. You'll find you've overspent really quickly. 

Tashlumim are not unique to Israel, by the way. They just get presented differently in other places (think of how many times you heard something would cost $X per month if you make 12 equal monthly payments - I'm guessing you've heard that - THAT, my friends, is "tashlumim" in a nutshell)! They are a way of making items FEEL more affordable, so be CAREFUL! I don't like it when you look at prices for items, say furniture, and the price is the monthly payment they assume you would make, if you are paying in 12 tashlumim! I feel like people don't bother to do the math and check how much they are ACTUALLY paying, because the monthly payment feels comfortable enough. 

Don't fall for it - do the math! Make sure you know how much you're paying before you purchase. And ONLY use tashlumim if you are sure you can pay it off in a reasonable time frame and if this purchase warrants it.

Tip: Try to never have more than one purchase at a time on Tashlumim, and budget for it and make sure that there is enough money to cover the large expense over the next X number of months, in additon to your ongoing, regular expenses. And then WAIT before making another large purchase, until you've paid off the first one in full, and even longer, so you can build up some savings.

Leave a comment if you have questions about tashlumim, and I'll do my best to answer!

Getting back on track after Pesach

I hope you all enjoyed your Pesach! Ours was a whirlwind of guests - friends and family - and activity. It was great!
Now that the Pesach stuff in my house is packed away, I figured it's time to do a Post-Pesach get back on track "exercise".

I'm going to try to figure out if there is anything we learned about our food consumption from Pesach - either about foods we can live easily without, or foods we can easily substitute with homemade versions...

So I've decided to focus on Ketchup this morning.

My kids love ketchup. My husband does too. I eat it with a few random foods.

I almost always buy ketchup on sale, but this Pesach I went back to an old practice of mine, and I made my own ketchup! And you know, everyone loved the homemade version, as they used to. But sometimes they like the squeeze bottle convenience, as do I, but right now, I think I have to toss that "convenience" thing out the window!

And it's easy (if you take the shortcut and use prepared tomato paste), and costs a lot less than buying processed ketchup.

I know, Ketchup is just a drop in the bucket, but I'd love to hear what kinds of things you find you can live without or make yourself!

This is what's left of our Pesach ketchup. The container started out FULL.

Homemade Ketchup:

Tomato paste ( a can of 28 Bx - cost me about 4 shekels for 560?g)
sugar or honey (just a little)
vinegar (maybe 1/4 cup? I use either apple cider or balsamic)
salt, pepper, onion powder (when I'm out of that, I use a pinch of granulated garlic)
water as needed

I just guess and mix it all together till it tastes right and add water till I get the consistency we like best. Next time I make some, I'll measure it out!

Of course, you can make it with fresh tomatoes and onions and cook it for many hours, but I'm being realistic here - I don't usually have time for that. Plus this way, I don't have dirty pots. I just mix it together in a container I can store in the fridge. Only thing to wash is a spoon!

Economic Woes and White Cheese

Once again, it seems that people in Israel sometimes don't see the forest for the trees.

The cottage cheese uprising - which I didn't participate in, mainly because during the time of the cottage cheese boycott a local store kept cottage cheese on sale for about 4 shekels/container (now it's well over 6, and sadly, I hardly buy cottage cheese anymore) - was supposed to be the start of major changes for those of us not in the top echelon of society.

But it really didn't do anything. Cottage Cheese is even more expensive now than it was when the boycott happened! And the other issues? Cost of housing, utilities, cars, gas, insurance? I haven't seen anything go down (please correct me if I'm wrong).

Now, the talk of the day is about White Cheese. It seems the price of White Cheese has risen a ridiculous 56% since 1999, and the public wasn't happy about it, so now it will go back into the "basket" of price controlled foods.

Okay.

Now really, they tell me the price will go down by about 20%. I expect this means that instead of spending 20 shekels a month on White Cheese (I'm sure some spend more, some less), I will now spend 16 shekels a month on it. Is that 4 shekels a month going to make a DENT in my electric bills (the rates keep going up)? Is that going to offset the kitzbat yeladim reduction?

Is it going to change my life?

I think not.

I don't have the answers, but I'm pretty sure we need some more fundamental changes than controlling the price of White Cheese.

Maybe the electric company should lower their rates to something reasonable?

Or the water company?

Maybe VAT shouldn't apply to basic food items? 

Just a thought.

Expenses Going Up... You can bring them down!

Scrimping and saving. Adjusting to higher taxes, and fewer government benefits.
That's what we are all thinking about right now.

So what's a struggling family to do? It's already hard to keep from falling into the "minus" gap that so many Israelis find themselves in. And now - it is going to get tougher.

I don't have the answers. I know this is going to be a tough time for many of us. Lapid keeps promising that the tax hike and cutbacks are temporary, and while I hope that's true, I wouldn't place any bets on that.

So here are some money saving ideas.

1. Call your service providers and ask for lower rates, and be ready to switch to the least expensive competitor.

2. Evaluate all of your spending. Save every receipt from every purchase you make. See where there are unnecessary expenses. This will vary. there is no exact formula for deciding what you can cut out, but there are usually places to cut back.

3. Watch your electricity usage. Turn off the lights when you leave a room. unplug small appliances when not in use. (Actually, I also unplug my washing machine a dryer when not in use, too) Don't run fans in empty rooms. During the day, use natural light - make sure to open those shades to let the light in!

4. If you are throwing out food at the end of the day/week, then you can safely cut back on the amount of food you purchase.

5. If you need new clothing, first check the second hand shop! There are plenty of them out there, and lots of them have clothing for just a few shekels per piece. Especially if it's a G'mach. I've gotten really great deals at the second hand shop, even items that are new with tags!

6. If you are genuinely struggling, consider downsizing. Sell stuff that you aren't using - post on Craigslist, Yad2, your local bulletin board. I would even recommend moving somewhere that will cost you less in the long run (as long as the savings are greater than the move itself will cost you!).

7. If you need to quickly save up money, try out a spending fast for a month. A month with NO spending (I would say except the very basics of living) at all. And stash the money saved for rainy day!

8. If you must buy something, do take some time to comparison shop, especially if it's a big-ticket item! Your wallet will thank you.

9. Even for groceries, keep track of prices. Some stores have consistently better prices on some of the items you buy, so be sure to buy them where they will cost you less! (As an example, my kids wanted yogurt in single serve cups. And 8-pack at Mega was well over 20 shekels. But at Yesh, that same 8-pack was 16 shekels!)

What are your best money-saving tips?