Making Pesach on $300!

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Forum -> Yom Tov / Holidays -> Pesach

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SacN

Wed, Feb 06 2013, 7:16 am

The thread about how much we all spend on Pesach stuff made me nervous.

We will, IYH be in Israel for Pesach, in a rental apartment. We are making Pesach for me, DH and our young toddler, plus a couple of guests (seminary girls) for a couple of meals. In order to stay within our vacation/pilot trip budget, we want to spend as close to $300 as possible.

We need to buy paper goods/cookware, though we can kasher the regular pots/flatware from the apartment we are staying in. We need to turn over their kitchen, but the apartment will be otherwise cleaned. We eat hand shmura for the sedarim, machine shmura for everything else, and we need to buy wine and food. We don't need to make red meat and cook very simply in general (and honestly, mostly pesachdick during the rest of the year anyway). We want to eat out as many day meals as possible, to cut down on the food budget.

Is it possible? How? What should I bring from the US that's cheaper here, and what can I buy, where, in Israel? Can you help me think of menu ideas, and a basic list of things I will need and things I don't as far as kitchen stuff goes. I've never made Pesach myself before (but been in other's homes), but I've done succos a few times (which I know is cheaper) on a similarly small budget.

Thanks ladies!

happybeingamom

Wed, Feb 06 2013, 7:23 am

Are you doing the Seder as that is the most expensive meal?

Liba

Wed, Feb 06 2013, 7:26 am

That is ~1,110nis for 8 days, two sedarim? How many meals do you have the option of eating out? How/where will you be doing your shopping? Will you have access to a car to get to a larger/cheaper store or will you be shopping at what ever makolet is closest? Do you have local relatives who can help you get pre-order sales for meat and vegetables?

curlgirl

Wed, Feb 06 2013, 7:38 am

SacN wrote:

We want to eat out as many day meals as possible, to cut down on the food budget.

I guess you can cut the budget completely by eating out for all meals...

Won't that be on someone else's budget though?

Hashemlovesme

Wed, Feb 06 2013, 7:59 am

are you sure you can kasher the pots? They would have to be all metal & very clean?
Also $300 seeml very little, even on "home terf", but in a rented appt in a different country? You'll need everything from sponges to foil & you don't even know what's a good price & the cheapest place to shop....are you including transportation as well?

SacN

Wed, Feb 06 2013, 8:02 am

We have a couple people to eat out by, but not enough to eat out every meal--not 2nd day meals.
Yes, it will be on someone else's budget--I imagine people would not invite us if they could not afford it. We won't go begging for meals to people who wouldn't be having guests otherwise--we are talking about close friends nearby who are happy to have us over here and there. We can try to get invited out for one seder, but will probably be making the 2nd.

My sister is in seminary--we would like to have her over for some meals.

We will have a car. We have friends we can ask to bulk order things for us, if that is cheaper/easier.

If we need to, we will go over the budget--we have the money but if we can avoid spending it, we'd rather do that. I want to know how to best keep it down as low as possible, not how silly I am for thinking I can do this.

Fabulous

Wed, Feb 06 2013, 8:02 am

yeah, even with being ultra frugal, I don't see how it's possible. Maybe pm seraph she is the queen of frugality and ask her if it's even possible.

spinkles

Wed, Feb 06 2013, 8:04 am

Quote:

we can kasher the regular pots/flatware from the apartment we are staying in

Hopefully yes--but sometimes pots that have gotten heavy usage aren't really kasherable. I have had them tell me they wouldn't do some of my pots. Just a heads-up.

Food--

A ton of potatoes. Ton of eggs. Onions. Salt. Oil. DO NOT get cottonseed; it tastes terrible and will give an off flavor to everything you make. I use safflower but I'm not sure if people in EY use it.

Try to minimize the matza, it can be hard to digest.

To keep things cheap and easy, plan on making big pots of chicken and vegetables: potatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, onion, salt, and bone-in chicken, cooked until tender. Serve with a big tossed salad.

Since this is your first time making Pesach, avoid all baking. Desserts can be fruit salad, or cut-up melon, or compote (glorified applesauce), or even homemade popsicles (blend bananas/other fruit/sugar).

I buy a case of hard avocados a week before Pesach. They ripen in time for Pesach and we love our Pesach guacamole. I'm not sure if they're expensive in EY though. You can make lots of stuff like ratatouille that use things that are cheap in EY--eggplant, zucchini, onions, tomatoes, peppers.

Boil up a ton of eggs and make egg salad.

Tamiri

Wed, Feb 06 2013, 8:07 am

Disposables are expensive in Israel, compared to (I am assuming) the U.S.
Fruits and vegetables can be reasonable, if you shop wisely.
There is no free matza here (like some supermarkets give out in the U.S. - if you use that type) and shmura is (please correct me if I am wrong) at least 90 shekels per kg for the hand shmura.
I assume you won't have a mixer? So does that mean buying baked goods? They are horrendously expensive for the not gebroks mehadrin ready-made.
For the seder, will you have to buy everything to prepare from scratch or can you take from someone's leftovers? Nuts are a fortune.

And so on,

If you have the money, come besimcha and don't sweat the details. It's not worth your health.

Mrs.K

Wed, Feb 06 2013, 8:12 am

Are you including the price of the rental?

Liba

Wed, Feb 06 2013, 8:14 am

Keep in mind, in E"Y even if you eat out it is customary to bring your own wine and matzah on Pesach. I don't eat machine matzah, so I don't know what it costs, but I would expect that at least a third of your budget will be going to matzah and wine.

Is there any way you can cut back for the next six weeks and save another $50-$75 a week? I think you will be relieved to have the "extra" money even if you do things frugally.

SacN

Wed, Feb 06 2013, 8:14 am

We are positive we can kasher the pots, but we will need to buy foil, plates, disposable bakeware, etc. I've made yom tov away from home before entirely in foil pans in a treif kitchen--I needed everything new then also and did it in under this budget.

I'm not asking can I do it--I think I can try and I want help to get as close to that as possible. I don't know where to shop, what to bring from the US, etc, and I'd appreciate help with those kinds of things. I know you ladies want to do a chessed and help me figure out how to do it.

We have a car--that's not included in the 300. This budget is only including regular Pesach expenses, nothing to do with our vacation.

We are coming to Israel for job interviews, which were scheduled around this time by the potential employers. This was when they were interviewing. Yes, Pesach in Israel is expensive, yes, we shouldn't plan a vacation if we can't afford it, and yes, we felt it was worth it to skimp and save on our Pesach expenses for the potential of making aliyah with jobs lined up.

Karnash

Wed, Feb 06 2013, 8:17 am

IIRC, hand shmura is a lot more than 90 shekel a kilo. I think last year it was about 130, if not more.

Tamiri

Wed, Feb 06 2013, 8:19 am

Where are you staying? So people can point you where to shop?
Do you need special hechsherim or is Rabbanut satisfactory?
What type of matza do you eat?
Do you eat prepared things?
On this board it very difficult to know who does what - there is no standard.
With regards to Pesach, I think it's much less expensive to make it here, but then again we have 2 less days of Yom Tov to contend with.
The disposables that are standard here will surprise you with their flimsiness. The good stuff costs a lot more. Maybe plan all your meals and bring appropriate pans/utensils so you don't have to buy here? There is no Target and no Walmart here to get really cheap stuff for a good price. When you live here you get used to what's available but it's a good idea to reduce your sticker shock as much as possible.
Additionally, you need to be wary about items containing kitniyot, if you don't eat them. The "regular" items in the store are, many times, KLP but... le'ochlai kitniyot bilvad. The Ashkenazi stuff costs a lot more.

Tamiri

Wed, Feb 06 2013, 8:21 am

Karnash wrote:

IIRC, hand shmura is a lot more than 90 shekel a kilo. I think last year it was about 130, if not more.

We get through our moetza 1/2 kg for 45 nis. Huge group order, of course.

Karnash

Wed, Feb 06 2013, 8:25 am

Good luck on your job interviews.

Bring all the disposables, and anything ready made you must have.

Shop the shuk for fruits and veggies, and depending where you are staying, find out where the cheapest place to buy meat and chicken is. I don't know what hechsherim you need - but that can definitely have an impact on cost.

SacN

Wed, Feb 06 2013, 8:27 am

Oh--I don't bake.
Our meals will be chicken, carb (potatos) and baked/roasted/sauted veggies, as well as salad. Possibly also fish and soup, if I can fit it in the budget. We can do fruit for dessert, again, if I can fit it in the budget. We drink water. Only mehadrin hechsherim, and we have a whole empty suitcase to bring anything from home that we would be better off buying here.

We know to bring matza and wine with is.

Thanks for the tips!

Last edited by SacN on Wed, Feb 06 2013, 8:30 am; edited 1 time in total

Liba

Wed, Feb 06 2013, 8:29 am

If you like rutabaga or pineapple bring them. It may be worth bringing your paper goods too. Utensils for stirring, you can get nice bamboo ones in Amazing savings for much less than I have seen anything there. I think it was $2.99 for a set of three. Kitchenware here is generally a lot more expensive than in the US. What are you doing for kiddush cups/kossos for the seder? Maybe bring those too?

shalhevet

Wed, Feb 06 2013, 8:36 am

SacN wrote:

I have to say that I find this attitude really unpleasant. I don't know, maybe your friends are millionaires here on vacation, or wealthy Israelis who can readily spare the money, but most people find Pesach expensive. If they are your friends and you tell them you are coming to Israel for YT, it's kind of awkward to say, 'oh, you know we are really great friends, I hope it works out that we meet up at some point'. What are they supposed to say? It's a rather unsubtle hint when you call people up in advance and let them know you'll be in their city/ country for YT. Even if they can afford it, it would be nice to bring a nice gift if you are eating a meal, certainly if it's several meals.

Now - to the more practical side.
Where will you be staying/shopping?
What hechsherim do you eat? Rabbanut, mehadrin, specific hechsherim like Eida or Rav Landau? If the answer is: Don't know - you better find out quick.
What requirements do you have for matza? Shmura? Hand made? Machine? What kind of hechsher?
What kind of products are you looking to buy? Basic food supplies like sugar, oil (what kinds of oil do you use?), cocoa, spices, chicken? Or fancy imported American food which you are used to?

Your costs will be much higher than for a family who lives here. Firstly, you have nothing put away from last year. Also, people who live here and are on a low budget usually have the opportunity of bulk buy or even subsidized sales before Pesach - things like fruits and veggies, chicken, meat, wine, eggs etc. Even if you could do so, it probably wouldn't be practical since you are eating a relatively small amount of meals with few people, and you can't keep the last 4 chickens from the case till after YT.

I'll try and help more after I see your reply.

Liba

Wed, Feb 06 2013, 8:37 am

Can you do us a favor please? After Pesach I would love for you to come back to this thread and tell us how the interviews went and if you managed to keep to your budget?

I would really appreciate it!

Thanks and hatzlacha on everything!!

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