Making Pesach on $300!

naturalmom5

Wed, Feb 06 2013, 6:48 pm

MIL....thanks for saving me the trouble of a long post expressing a similar thought.
Shalhevet .. Can I just ask you if everyone in your circle is this petty . I consider myself to be very low income. Still, I am overjoyed to have guests on Shabbos. It doesn't matter why they came . I still get the mitzva and enjoy their company. B"h, most of my neighbors feel the same way.

MuppetLover

Wed, Feb 06 2013, 7:28 pm

Unless you need to go away for health, your attitude isnt nice.
I live in a touristy area, and I am really digusted that people come on vacation and shnore meals from the locals bc they want to eat on a budget. and in fact, its people like THIS is the reason my family goes away for Pesach, bc otherwise Pesach would run me close to ten grand bc I would have about 30-40 people at each seder, and they wouldnt bring their own matzah or wine bc we are VERY machmir and dont want eat out or allow others food in our home AND we dont eat ANYTHING processed.

I refuse people who called me and told me they didnt want to eat in a restaurant bc its too expensive. If you cant afford to go away, STAY HOME AND DONT RELY ON THE LOCALS TO FEED YOU.

IF YOU NEED HELP making Pesach, I am sure your community has a program to help with money for groceries or the actual groceries.

naturalmom5

Wed, Feb 06 2013, 8:24 pm

Last poster ... Obviously, everything has a balance . In a touristy area like you describe it's seems reasonable to charge a nominal fee for meals or say I can only have 2 ppl per meal. Don't act meeyus , just say this is what I can afford to do.
For example, in Baltimore there is a lot of Hachnasas Orchim most of the time.
When we come during vacation time in the summer, many places very pleasantly charge like 30$ a meal on Shabbos per couple.

b from nj

Wed, Feb 06 2013, 8:47 pm

Naturalmom, I know that in Israel there is a financial issue with families hosting guests for shabbos & yom tov & that's why many of the seminaries started offering more in-shabbosim b/c it was too expensive for a lot of the families to constantly have guests. That said, I'm sure hachnasas orchim is alive & well in EY but the financial situation there cannot be ignored especially in the Ramat Eshkol neighborhood which is mostly a kollel community (from what I have heard recently) where finances are most likely tight overall.

SacN

Wed, Feb 06 2013, 10:06 pm

Y'all are right. Eating out to save money is not nice.

BH, that's not the case, although it looks like it from my OP. I'm sorry I said that. We are eating out, as well as hosting seminary girls with no where else to go. We already know we are eating out by friends, and now that we are doing so, we are making a budget for the meals we need to buy/cook ourselves.

As I said--we are not really in Israel on vacation--we are coming BECAUSE of the job interviews we lined up, which needed to happen right before Pesach, leaving us with little chance to make Pesach at home and an opportunity to enjoy our time in Israel. We could have stayed home and given up the chance to make aliyah, but we could also scrounge up the money we can for flights and an apartment and basic food for the chance to live in Aretz Hakadosh. If that means eating out a few meals with people who care about us and understand the situation, I'm happy and appreciative of their generosity.

You people make me sounds like a monster--I didn't invite myself to anyones house, I didn't insist on eating meals out. All I did was include the fact that we are eating out into my budget, because I know that eating out (with hostess gifts) costs less than making yom tov meals.

Thank you to everyone who suggested places to shop or things I should bring from home. All the information was very helpful! IYH, I'll let you know how the Pesach plans and the job interviews go!

Merrymom

Wed, Feb 06 2013, 11:45 pm

I don't think your budget is realistic whatsoever. In fact you should make a budget for more than you think you'll really need because there are always things that we didn't think of that will suddenly have to be purchased. Especially since you're not home, especially since you haven't been making Pesach for years already and therefore have an already stocked kitchen and experience. I would see about putting aside more money somehow.

Tamiri

Thu, Feb 07 2013, 12:37 am

OP there are many people for whom life is a hardship, and you can meet some on Imamother. I am sure that if people invited you for meal/s, they can handle it. 2 people extra isn't a big deal for many in Israel.
Having said that, and as I posted before, I think you should just chill and enjoy. $300 is probably not realistic so leave yourself some wiggle space and don't stress the small details. Will $100 or $200 extra really break the bank?

shabri

Thu, Feb 07 2013, 1:43 am

Shaarei Rechava is definitely the cheapest on most things. Cheaper than Osher ad. But they don't carry fruits and veggies for that you should go to the shuk. You need to find out which he haters you eat even among he mehadrin ones. If you will eat the Fleish (ou) chickens its going to be less than the rubin or eidah.

Keep in mind that gas here is a fortune so driving around is also going to cost you.

I don't think it's possible to make Pesach from scratch even cheaply for $300.
Eta you have to be reall careful when shopping, many of the klp products are only for those who eat kitnoyos. Unfortunately for those that don't eat kitnoyos many of the products will cost more,

est

Thu, Feb 07 2013, 2:02 am

They generally have sales arranged by communities like ramat eshkol the wk or 2 before pesach - so if you are here already by then, they will really save you money. It might be worth asking the neighbors because they are not always advertised - just a form handed out in shuls. You need to pre-order the amount you want and then go on a specific day to collect everything. Some things you might have to buy in bulk, but I think it still works out to be cheaper, even if you only use about 3/4 of it. There is usually a grocery type sale which includes oil, chocolate, nuts, potato flour, cookies, dustbin bags, plastic tablecloths, aluminium foil, and other disposable and edible items. The fruit and veg sale is separate and I was very impressed last year with the quality and extremely low prices. They can't always tell you what the prices will be in advance, but you can be sure that it will be a huge saving. The hechsherim are excellent as well.

Meat and chicken bulk sales are usually advertised on the streets and you can ask your friends if they want to go halves with you if the cases are too much. Sometimes you can just turn up, sometimes you need to pre-order.

The best way to shop frugally is to take a pen and paper with you to several shops and write down all the prices so you can get a feel for what is really a "mivsa" and what is overpriced - but for that you need time and patience. There can be a big difference in some shops with regards to oil and ground nuts so it might be worth checking those out anyway.

Best of luck. Yomim tovim in eretz yisroel are especially beautiful, so enjoy the experience!

curlgirl

Thu, Feb 07 2013, 2:08 am

b from nj wrote:

There is an obvious solution for families in Ramat Eshkol whose finances are tight...

curlgirl

Thu, Feb 07 2013, 2:10 am

SacN wrote:

You people make me sounds like a monster--I didn't invite myself to anyones house, I didn't insist on eating meals out. All I did was include the fact that we are eating out into my budget, because I know that eating out (with hostess gifts) costs less than making yom tov meals.

OK, I apologize, I certainly don't think you're a monster.

Your wording implied something to me which you did not mean.

Good luck with everything!

shalhevet

Thu, Feb 07 2013, 6:19 am

naturalmom5 wrote:

MIL....thanks for saving me the trouble of a long post expressing a similar thought.
Shalhevet .. Can I just ask you if everyone in your circle is this petty .

Well you are welcome to insult me (I was responding to the OP's first post which she has now explained - so I apologise for the misunderstanding, I only reacted that way because I thought she meant something she has now clarified she didn't) but I really don't understand why you would insult my 'circle' whatever that is meant to include. Are those in your 'circle' responsible for your nasty post? I think not, and why would I imply anything about them from the way you choose to post?

Quote:

I consider myself to be very low income.

Very low income can mean lots of things. For some people it means they can only serve chicken on Shabbos and not brisket. For some people it means their second car is bought three years old and not brand new. For some people it's worrying about how to afford onions for Shabbos because they are very expensive this week. And for some people it means they have no idea how they are going to buy anything to feed their children with.

Quote:

Still, I am overjoyed to have guests on Shabbos. It doesn't matter why they came . I still get the mitzva and enjoy their company. B"h, most of my neighbors feel the same way.

Which mitzva? Are you talking about hachnasas orchim? Because it certainly makes a difference why they came. Chessed? Ditto. Tzedaka? Ditto. (Not that this has anything to do with the OP).

Raisin

Thu, Feb 07 2013, 6:33 am

Shalhevet, would you consider hosting a family on a pilot trip a suitable reason for hachnosos orchim?

Of course, if someone cannot afford bread and milk and vegetables for their kids I don't think they should host guests. Hopefully, Ops friends are not in such dire straits.

In the USA I think most low income people receive food stamps so very few people are actually starving and even low income people can probably stretch their food to feed guests on shabbos..

shalhevet

Thu, Feb 07 2013, 6:39 am

OP, I'm probably going to get bashed for this, by you too, but I have to say this.
Your plan sounds super over-optimistic to me. How are you going to go for job interviews, check out things for a pilot trip etc. while looking after a baby and making Pesach? Making Pesach for the first time and being in a strange kitchen (never mind a strange country) are things which greatly increase the time you need to clean and organize.

What about ditching the hired car and using the money to make things easier? The roads in Yerushalayim on erev YT, kal v'chomer on erev Pesach, are super-crowded. Ditto the stores. Ditto any available parking. The cheap stores save money by having fewer check-outs (= longer lines), often you have to pack yourself and shlepp the stuff outside (you can use their trolley and then return it). You can seriously count on several hours just to do a grocery shop (it will also take you longer since you are not familiar with the products/ hechsherim etc. - do you have someone who has made Pesach in Israel to take with you?) It will still be much cheaper to take a taxi back 2-3 times after shopping than hiring a car. Or go somewhere local and get things delivered, even if you pay higher prices.

Also the cheap sales often take time - either ordering before including bringing money and order to ploni, and then you have to stand in line at the exact appointed time to get what you ordered.

How will you cook without the most basic of kitchen equipment? You will need at least one pot, one sharp knife and cutting board, and a potato peeler for even the most basic meals. For the seder you will need a grater (for maror and charoset), a bowl to soak the lettuce, and an egg pan. If you want to make soup, that's another pot. Don't forget you need to buy and toivel these things.
Also, what will you cook on? Has your rav okayed kashering the stove top? Do you have the equipment to do so?

Please believe me that I am not trying to discourage you, just be realistic about things you might not have thought of, and make your pilot trip here happy and stress-free, so that you still want to come back. Smile

curlgirl

Thu, Feb 07 2013, 6:44 am

Raisin wrote:

My comments have nothing to do with income.

Just because I can afford (BH) doesn't mean people are entitled to use my money instead of their own, if they have it Scratching Head

I'd be happy to host someone on a pilot trip, to make them comfortable, save them the worry of prep/ shopping/ cooking in a strange country, allow them to see our community etc.

Last edited by curlgirl on Thu, Feb 07 2013, 6:50 am; edited 1 time in total

imasinger

Thu, Feb 07 2013, 6:48 am

SacN wrote:

I just want to say that I am impressed with how you set the record straight with such class. Hatzlacha on every aspect of your trip!