Check out this fragrance-free laundry detergent!

This post contains my iHerb referral link. You'll save money using it (even existing customers), and I may be compensated by iHerb. It won't cost you extra - but it WILL save you money! A surprise package arrived at the post office and this was what I found: A package for me! AWESOME! So I opened it up and here's what I found: A Gift! For me! YAY! I discovered that iHerb sent me a sample of their Mild by Nature laundry detergent to review. I must admit, I've actually bought it before! You see, we really try hard to use fragrance-free detergents because we sneeze and wheeze otherwise. So this is one of those I've tried and liked. It really leaves no scent! And unless something is super stinky or massively stained, it works. If you're using this detergent on stains, I recommend pre-treating with a stain remover (I usually use the Ecover one) or pairing it with a laundry booster like this bleach alternative. The bleach alternative also has the added benefit of neutralizing those super stinky odors, too (can you tell that we sometimes have stinky laundry here?). The other thing I really like about this detergent is that it comes in pre-measured pods, so it travels easily AND it makes it really easy to get my teens to throw a load of laundry in because I know they'll use the "right" amount of detergent. I love to share iHerb deals and I'm excited to let you know about a sale going on right now that will get you 20% OFF Mild By Nature brand! But hurry!  If you haven't tried this brand, I'll let you in on a secret: This is one of iHerb's "house brands" so you get a particularly good value for most of the products and you aren't paying for a fancy brand name. And, if you place items in your order that don't qualify for this sale, code QEJ101 will still give you 5% - 10% off almost anything else on the site! (You can use that code EVERYDAY to create your own sale!)  So click here and get started at iHerb, and be sure to check out their house brand products! Boxit delivery to a pickup location is my current default delivery choice. Just note that this delivery option is only for orders that weigh a maximum of 5 kg (11 lbs). There are a few products that cannot be shipped this way, so if you discover at checkout that this delivery option isn't available, try removing one item at a time from your cart (I recommend moving it to "your lists" and then moving it back if it's not the one causing the problem). You can often score FREE Boxit delivery - for this, your order must be at least $60 USD. Whether I get home delivery, or store pickup delivery, my iHerb orders have been coming really quickly, despite my location in the boondocks, closer to Damascus than Tel Aviv! Don't get surprised by import taxes! If you're ordering items from overseas, be sure to familiarize yourself with the most recent personal import regulations! HINT: Keep your order under $75 (not including shipping). I've been consistently impressed with their service during the pandemic. I've been filling in some of the things I was not able to get in my regular grocery or pharmacy delivery orders, or simply things that turned out to be less expensive from iHerb. I order things like fragrance free laundry detergent, french roast coffee, and eco-friendly dishwasher detergent, allergen free chocolate chips (note: these only ship November thru May!), elderberry and zinc. Let me know what your favorite deals are! Want more deals? Join my Facebook Group and/or my Whatsapp group!

Ways to Cut Back

This month, I want to try to cut back our spending a little more. I haven't set an actual shekel figure, but I want to see if some small changes can make a difference.

First and foremost, I want to lower our electric bill. It's been a little on the high side since our dud shemesh (solar water heater) went kaput when we had a cold snap. We really want to replace the dud shemesh with a new, cold-weather resistant one, but we still have to figure out how to pay for it. So I *thought* that the one place to find some the money would be to lower our electric bill.

So this is the month where we go back to checking for forgotten electricity hogs - most often this is the children leaving lights and fans on! But it could also be things like the modem and the router. I recently moved them from a back room into a spot in the kitchen, and this way I am more likely to remember to unplug them before going to bed and before Shabbat. Also, we now turn off and unplug the printer when it's not in use. And never leave cellphone chargers plugged in for longer than needed for charging (or better, use a solar powered charger for your phone, digital camera, etc)! Time to remind the kiddos of these rules, so we can do better with our electric bills! We'll also try to figure out where we may be wasting electricity without realizing it and implement other changes. If you want to see how much your electrical appliances cost to run, so you can also make small changes with big savings, check out this Cost Calculator, which is up-to-date with the current IEC price per kwH.

This month we are also going to try to re-instate the "grocery shopping on Tuesday" rule. Many stores have special produce sales on Tuesdays, and we like to take advantage of that. Lately, this has meant finding onions, potatoes, cabbages, carrots, tomatoes, and cucumbers (sometimes other things too) for about 1 shekel/kg. Without having to find sug bet or scouring the shuk at the end of the day! This saves us a lot of money, especially if we plan meals that highlight the cheaper types of produce. Another thing we do is take a couple of minutes and upload receipts to SnapIn, even if we did not buy something on their list. Sometimes they give "surprise" rebates, and it takes so little time. (Check out my post about SnapIn if you want to find out more about it!)

The other area I want to target is the laundry room. I've been using the dryer a lot, so I guess this is actually related to the "electricity hogs" part of this post! While I know it's not frugal, it's one of those things I just have to do, as hanging the laundry outside to dry is not an option for me (I have allergies, and many of those allergens are air-borne. Like pollens, dust, smoke, cat dander, dog dander... and if I hang laundry outside, I end up with allergens all over our freshly laundered (in hypo-allergenic laundry detergent!) clothes and linens, and I get sick. So it's not an option). But I can hang more things to dry inside the house! So I hope to go back to hanging a lot more things to dry! This will mean I need to declutter my laundry room ASAP!

I also hope to declutter and organize some of our supplies. I know that having my stuff organized means I won't run out and buy something that I already have. Just lately, things have gotten a bit out of control. So it's time to reclaim control, before I start buying things I should not have to purchase again!

And it's time to take a good look at the cellphone plans and internet subscription and find cheaper deals! 


I'd love to hear your ideas - ways to cut back -- especially when you already shop at the second hand shop, don't go out to eat nor get coffee out, swap books or check them out of the library, etc.


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Printable Coupon!

This may come in handy - a coupon for 7 NIS off Ariel brand laundry products!
This coupon is good for the entire year and can be redeemed at Shufersal stores (not "Shufersal Express"), Blue Square Stores - that's Mega (but not MegaBul, so I guess just Mega Ba'Ir), and SuperPharm