Retail therapy? Don't go broke, though!

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! 

Do you need a diversion from everything? Sometimes the best thing to do is to give something to someone. I know many people are volunteering in countless ways, but maybe you know someone who will be comforted by a more physical gesture or gift? If so, shopping is your answer!

And here I am, with a number of cute and inexpensive gift ideas! These are from Amazon, with free shipping options to Israel (and they ship to other places too):

The best gift I found this winter, and gave to my whole family are cozy blanket hoodies! They are awesome and (I've been told that some people have even been spotted wearing them to class at college.) Right now there's a coupon you can activate to get it for even less - so hurry and take advantage of that!

These options are all $6 (about 21 NIS) or less:

"Hug this till you can hug me" pillow cover (I can think of a number of scenarios for which this pillow cover is PERFECT)

Stainless steel large Coffee thermos (I love getting people to switch over to reusable cups!)

Fancy Vanilla Coffee Turmeric Soap (washing your face with coffee? I'm intrigued!)

Paint by number kits (I couldn't believe how much more these cost locally, this is a huge savings for those who like these)

Jewelry making/Beading kit (great for fun with the kids - note: these are plastic beads)

Wooden Fruit toys (these are great for toddlers)

If you're looking for something else, let me know, maybe I've already stumbled across a deal!

Get all the deals in my groups: Israel Deals Made Easy and Live in Israel. Shop Online, and Kosher Frugal)!

Things to know about ordering from Israel: Shipping takes time, and lately they seem to be building in a lot of extra delivery time to cover worst-case scenarios, but most packages arrive earlier than the "deliver by" date.

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. Of course, if you want to lock in the sale price (all the items listed above are DISCOUNTED right now), you should click, add to cart, and buy without waiting!

Sometimes free shipping offers disappear, so please check carefully before you order. Most free shipping offers require a minimum purchase of $49. 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, 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!

Subsidized Glasses Event in the Far North

 

Residents of Northern Israel - it's back! Here's another chance to get a really affordable eye exam and glasses if you missed it last time.

This week, on Tuesday, July 4, 2017, you'll have another chance to get subsidized eye exams and glasses, this time in Shlomi. You'll be able to get a pair of glasses (standard frames + standard lenses!) for just 100 shekels, and sunglasses for 50 shekels! Specialty lenses are subsidized on a different scale (multifocals, for example, will cost 600nis and transition lenses for most prescriptions will cost 300nis - still a really awesome deal!), and some frames are a bit more expensive, but still affordable. There is an option to have this fee waived in case of need. Please send a text to 050-326-7501 to request a waiver.

The event will take place at the Merkaz L'Kashish in the Ben Gurion neighborhood in Shlomi.

Eye exams are available from 10am - 7pm. If you have glasses already (even old ones - they will help narrow down what you need even if you need an updated prescription) or a prescription for new glasses, please bring them with you to save time.

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! 

Please note: 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. 

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

Popsicles!

My kids want popsicles. But they are pricey. I just can't bear to even buy the cheap ones - totally not worth it. But I found a popsicle mold in my Pesach stuff that I never used, so I left it out, figuring it may get more use year round. And today, at the health food store, I found organic cherry-apple juice concentrate on clearance, because it's expiring at the end of June. It was 10 NIS instead of their usually exorbitant 54.90 price tag! I bought a few, so we'll have some cherry-apple pospsicles available for hot days!
Looking forward to cooling off, for less!

Printable Coupon! (Israel)

I am going to post any coupons I can find, even for products I would never use. If you buy them, save money, although some of the time I really would recommend re-thinking the purchase.

This is one of them.

Printable coupon for Pantene is available
Expires 30.6.2012
Redeemable at "select stores" but not Mega stores or Yesh

This is a screenshot of the coupon. To be sure your coupon will be accepted, please use the link above to print