Deals for dancers!

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I may receive a small commission. Thank you!

Dance. It's an expensive hobby once you get into the competition scene. Our girls have reached that stage where we're spending way more money on their dancing than we ever imagined we would.

Sometimes you just can't cut corners - I don't buy off-brand pointe shoes, for example. But other times, cutting corners is a great way to save. We used to spend upwards of 100 NIS (plus travel costs to get to the closest dance store) every time one of them needed new class shoes (ballet flats), but we don't do that anymore!

Instead, we experimented a bit and ordered a few off-brand shoes from online stores, and we've found one online seller that we really like for this kind of shoe. And SO much less expensive. (Note: this shoe is not usually used by younger, beginner dancers. Always ask your dance teacher for guidance about which kind of shoe is needed!)

Here's the listing:

It's pretty much true to size - but remember that dancers' feet usually swell a bit when they're warmed up, so we ordered 38s when in street shoes we usually get 37s for these girls. And the 38s are perfect for their warmed up feet. (37 and 38 etc are European sizes, in case you're reading this from another part of the world!) Click here to check them out for yourself!

Next - costumes cost a pretty penny. In most cases, though, for local shows and competitions, a discount costume is good enough - and it's not like we have much choice: We're just not able to invest hundreds of dollars on professional level costumes. However, discount costume makers REALLY vary. We've had some great successes, and some that left something to be desired.

Our favorite place to buy softer, romantic look tutus and lyrical dresses is Thank Frank's Aliexpress store. For the price, the quality is AMAZING.

We bought this one from them when we first discovered Thank Frank, and no one believed that it cost less than $50 USD!

This pretty blue peasant dress has seen several competitions already, and it's holding up really well! Click here to go check it out yourself.

For the classic tutu look (pancake style/platter style), we really had a hard time finding a discount seller. In the end, we ordered from Aler Dance Store. I will be the first to admit this is NOT a professional quality tutu. However, it will certainly do for a low-stakes competition or local performance. There were a few minor flaws in the stitching, but we can fix those, and the tulle got a little bent out of shape during shipping, but we can fix that too. Also, be aware that they send the tutu all crumpled up, with a piece of nylon hooping that you will need to insert yourself - but that's actually quite simple to do, so it's totally worth it. And shipping was not free, but we ordered it 11 days ago and we have the tutu in our hands already! Overall, this was a perfectly acceptable experience for a discount costume.

Click here to go check it out. They also sell other styles and colors, and I'll be ordering from them again!

We also try to get convertible tights for less than the standard price. Here's one of the ones we've bought. They don't last quite as long as brand name dancewear, so the jury's still out on this one. But if you just really can't fathom spending 40 NIS on a pair of tights, be aware that you CAN get THREE pairs for the same amount!

Click here to go to this listing!

Anyhow, if anyone out there reading this wants to sponsor our dancers' leotards, pointe shoes, costumes, etc please let me know! (Currently, they wear Bloch brand pointe shoes and are happy to continue. My wallet doesn't love spending 300 NIS or so on each pair, though.)

Happy Savings!

Amazon's BACK

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Maybe you've already heard that Amazon has resumed shipping to Israel? I know I've been hearing rumors floating around about this lately. So I decided to take a break from everything and browse to see for myself!

And yes, they have. Thousands of items are now shipping to Israel, BUT....

And it's a big BUT. None of them have free shipping. And some of them still have EXORBITANT shipping fees (I checked out a FitBit for about $70 and shipping was $40! um, no thanks. That's a pretty small item for a pretty high shipping fee!). 

But some things have quite reasonable shipping fees.

Let's look at shoes today.


These women's sandals, for example. They are priced at $23 and shipping is $10.81 - Still quite a high percentage but not a bad shipping rate for shoes. And we all know that shoes are one of those things that we all lament are WAY too expensive in this country!

How about Clarks shoes? I picked this style at random - and they are priced at $44 and shipping is about $12.

Men's shoes shipping rates were higher, but that's probably because they tend to be larger? Anyhow, the ones I checked ranged from about $15-$25 in shipping fees. Still, it might be worth it, considering that you might find your shoes for half of the retail price in the mall here!

Stride Rite shoes - lots of these ship to Israel for about $10 in shipping.

Some shoes have higher shipping fees, so check carefully before you click buy, and know what you're about to buy!

Overall, I think it's a great time to buy shoes from Amazon if you know what size you need. I'm all for avoiding the mall and getting things delivered to my door for a reasonable price! And that's what I found. So now, I'm heading back over there to find the shoes I've been looking for (nope, nothing too fashionable. I'm really looking for something super comfortable)!

Find more Shopping deals when you follow me on Facebook or join my Whatsapp group!

Deal: Birkenstocks from GROO!

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Are you looking for new Birkenstocks? Check out this deal on Groo right now!

Here's a deal for women's sizes - prices start at 329 NIS, with free shipping!

Click here to see the deal on Groo!

Enjoy! If you like my deals, be sure to share them with your friends and family! Friends don't let friends pay full price, right?

Join my Facebook Group and my Whatsapp Group if you want to get ALL the deals! See you there!

Deal: Blundstones (Free Shipping, 40% off regular price)

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Eyeing those Blundstones but not sure what to do about the 500 shekel price tag?

Here's a deal for under 300 NIS, with free shipping!

Click here to check the deal (for sizes 41-48)

Enjoy! If you like my deals, be sure to share them with your friends and family! Friends don't let friends pay full price, right?

Join my Facebook Group and my Whatsapp Group if you want to get ALL the deals! See you there!

Deal: Saucony shoes (for men)!

(This post contains affiliate links, and I may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking a link. Thanks in advance for your support!)  

Check out this Groo deal - you don't want to miss it! 

These Saucony men's shoes are specially priced at 149 nis (plus 15 for shipping), instead of the original price of 399 nis!!
Grab 'em while you can!

Groo deals often sell out quickly, so be sure to order before the deal ends - this one is only going to be around for a few more hours!

Surviving Summer (Stinky Shoes Edition)

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Let's just put it all out there - this post is about a problem that often doesn't get discussed:

Stinky Shoes.

I know it's not a very widely discussed topic. In fact, it seems most people really don't like to admit publicly that someone in their household may have this problem! But many of us have a family member (or several) who leave us all wondering what on earth are we supposed to do with those stinky shoes?!?

Lets' face it, this problem can happen anywhere in the world, but here in Israel, where it's SOO hot, it can be rather intense, you know? It may be one of those unspoken truths about making Aliyah... And today, we are going to end the silence about it and face it head on.

Personally, I have been SEARCHING for a long time for the solution to the stinky shoes problem.

We toss shoes in the washing machine fairly regularly, which is very helpful.
We buy odor eaters, also helpful.
Shower daily, very important...

But we still didn't conquer the problem, and we needed another something to complete the solution. You know, something that would allow us to keep shoes in the house even if we couldn't wash them!

Without this something, the smell can get a little ... overpowering. And I don't love sticking shoes outside overnight, for a bunch of reasons.

(snakes)

(scorpions)

(incredibly inconvenient)

(shoes still stink in the morning)

I decided there must be a simple solution that did not involve messy powders or sticking antibiotic-laced insoles into every pair of shoes. So I began the hunt. It involved checking out many stores - physical ones and online ones. Months of searching on and off...

Finally I found a product that really delivered. These awesome activated charcoal bags that you can put inside the stinky shoes as soon as they are off the stinky feet! And they tame them. For real.

Click the link above to go to the product listing on Aliexpress

This product has saved my house, seriously!!

(Those stinky feet still need a shower, but you expected that, didn't you?)

And now you know the secret to taming stinky shoes. 

Oh, and I am so happy to tell you that my order arrived in under 2 weeks!

Hope this helps someone else out there!

Then End of Endless.com

You all know how much I loved Endless.com for their great selection of shoes, and most importantly, cheap or free international shipping!

Well, Endless is merging with Amazon this week, and while you MAY still be able to order using Amazon Global Shipping, this seems to be the end of their cheap shipping.

So if you want to get a pair of great shoes, do it quickly! The last day to order from Endless.com is Sept. 26th.

Here's of my favorite deals right now. My girls LOVED, LOVED these shoes.
This is an affiliate link, so even if you don't love this particular shoe, if you click thru from here, yours truly will get a small commission, and it won't affect your final purchase price. Thanks in advance!

Shoes, shoes, shoes!

So this is not about food, but it is about getting a good value for your money. Sometimes you have no choice, you may actually need to buy a necessity...

I took a chance, and I ordered Jumping Jacks shoes from Endless.com.

They are leather, make all sorts of claims about orthopedically correct fit, have a removable insert to allow for a bit of extra growth, and were an excellent value, compared to local shoe prices. Not to mention shipping was super fast and very affordable! ($10 for the order, free shipping for orders over $125, and since they ship each pair separately, that works out fine customs-wise!)

I was also pretty confident that they would fit my children, as they make all sorts of "school shoes" that are required as part of a uniform in certain types of schools - like the schools that require certain types of shoes. They have to be made to accommodate all sorts of feet in order to become an official uniform shoe!

Well, I cannot be happier. The shoes we got are wonderful. They have lived up to all their claims, and even my super-sensitive boys who HATE, positively hate, getting new shoes are happy to have them!

Next time my girls need new shoes, we will probably try out Jumping Jacks for girls! (This time we chose Stride Rite , and we're thrilled. But I can see that Jumping Jacks are made better than these Stride Rites, when comparing the shoes my boys have to the shoes my girls have...)

We like this style: