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Yerushalayim vs New York



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amother
OP


 

Post Fri, Jul 29 2022, 7:25 am
Just sharing some thoughts that have been crowding around my already overcrowded brain.
We've been in a tough financial situation basically since we moved here, to Jerusalem.
Recently, like about a year ago, we started seriously considering moving back to the New York area. We love living here, but we were both working ourselves to the bone, and still living very tightly. Tiny apartment, never a spare shekel, and owing money to just about everyone.
We took a financial "course" together and came to the conclusion that we have to earn more because there's nowhere else to cut down from.
I was super frustrated, because even if I work endlessly, it's basically 30-35 shekel an hour, so it doesn't amount to much. And leaves me drained.
When I spoke to my siblings and friends in the Monsey area, they weren't able to relate to the absolute tightness I live in. No cleaning help. Constant stress surrounding shopping for basics, like groceries. Tiny apartment , both of us working hard. They could not relate. These women don't work, their men have full time jobs, and they live in comfortable houses. Nothing luxurious, but no stress surroundings every single penny.

Fast forward to now, and it seems like the average frum family is really struggling.
I didn't hear from my family or friends specifically, but imamother is full of families that are literally not making it, with both parents working.
Food prices went up here as well, but tuition bh, BH, is still very low.
This is leaving me feeling lots of different mixed emotions, and davening that every single family live with menuchas hanefesh.
And I guess I'd rather struggle in Yerushalayim than anywhere else!
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Bnei Berak 10




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Jul 29 2022, 7:40 am
Small points that are good here:
Very basic foods has a max. price here like eggs and milk.
Health insurance
Public transportation almost everywhere. OK, so it's not a 5-star service but it least there is a way to get from point A to B without a car.
Fruit and vegetables are VAT exempted.
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Elfrida




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Jul 29 2022, 7:49 am
Inflation rate here is currently about half the rate in America, so while prices are rising, it is not so steep. And of course, tuition and health insurance make a huge difference.

30 - 35 shekels sounds fairly basic. Is there any way you could improve your qualifications and get a better paying job?

Have you considered moving out of Yerushalayim? If you are paying rent, just moving to somewhere like Gavat Ze'ev or Telzstone can make a big difference in what you can afford.

Yerushalayim is one of the most expensive cities in the world - but as a friend of mine says, 'Kedusha costs!'
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chanchy123




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Jul 29 2022, 7:56 am
I understand your point that it seems like many more people (frum Jews) are struggling financially in they’ America, but it can’t compare like in JLM to life in Monsey - it’s more like life in Manhattan.
I understand this is not the point of your post, but it sounds quite impossible to live off minimum wage and live in Yerushalayim. That must be very difficult.
I hope you figure out how to increase your earnings.
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Reality




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Jul 29 2022, 8:04 am
I don't live in Yerushalayim but in RBS. We moved from New York. Our expenses are much lower. How old are your kids? Once most of your kids are school age in the US, the tuition bills are choking for many families.

Other expenses like food was always higher in Israel but now I'm not so sure anymore. I find our utility bills are lower than in the US but we are also living in a much smaller apartment. Which is much easier to keep clean without cleaning help. We have not bought a car yet.

I think you or your husband need to find a better paying job. Can either of you work remotely for a US company? You'll get paid more than 30 nis an hour.
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amother
OP


 

Post Fri, Jul 29 2022, 9:06 am
I appreciate all of your helpful advice, which was not even my intention. It was more like correcting my own misconception that life in the USA is just automatically more comfortable.
My husband bh finally has a job which he loves, and where he feels appreciated, and is a great fit for his personality and strengths, with room for growth.
I would love to work remotely for an American company, but I'm not sure how to go about it.
I'm very aware that Jerusalem is a very expensive city, but we finally found our circle of friends, have a handful of relatives here, kids are settled, and we both like our jobs.
We just hope and daven to be able to afford life here.
Good Shabbos
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shabbatiscoming




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Jul 29 2022, 9:10 am
Op, a few things stuck out from your post.
Firstly 30-35 shekels an hour is very low. Thats pretty much minimum wage, I actually think minimum wage is higher, but I could be wrong.
Second, living in a city like jerusalem is extremely expensive. Can you not move out of jlem? That would probably help a lot.
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shabbatiscoming




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Jul 29 2022, 9:12 am
amother [ OP ] wrote:
I appreciate all of your helpful advice, which was not even my intention. It was more like correcting my own misconception that life in the USA is just automatically more comfortable.
My husband bh finally has a job which he loves, and where he feels appreciated, and is a great fit for his personality and strengths, with room for growth.
I would love to work remotely for an American company, but I'm not sure how to go about it.
I'm very aware that Jerusalem is a very expensive city, but we finally found our circle of friends, have a handful of relatives here, kids are settled, and we both like our jobs.
We just hope and daven to be able to afford life here.
Good Shabbos
I think many think this. But you are correct that many times its a misconception.
I hope you have many many more living in yerushaliyim. Shabbat shalom
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Elfrida




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Jul 29 2022, 9:50 am
shabbatiscoming wrote:

Firstly 30-35 shekels an hour is very low. Thats pretty much minimum wage, I actually think minimum wage is higher, but I could be wrong.


I think minimum wage is 28, but the OP isn't getting much above that.
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essie14




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Jul 29 2022, 9:54 am
Yerushalayim is crazy expensive. When I moved out, I couldn't believe how much cheaper food is outside the city.
I worked in Manhattan as well and it's the same thing. Real estate is more expensive and so are basic food items.
Your COL will go way down if you move.

If your husband was earning what your friends husbands are earning you also wouldn't have to work, even in Israel.
You can't compare yourself to someone who has vastly different life circumstances.
I have plenty of friends in Israel who are SAHM'S.

I'm glad you have chosen to stay. I feel like people really have to crunch the numbers when they contemplate moving out of Israel. You wouldn't believe how Healthcare and tuition take such a large percentage of your take home pay.
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Reality




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Jul 29 2022, 10:09 am
amother [ OP ] wrote:
I appreciate all of your helpful advice, which was not even my intention. It was more like correcting my own misconception that life in the USA is just automatically more comfortable.
My husband bh finally has a job which he loves, and where he feels appreciated, and is a great fit for his personality and strengths, with room for growth.
I would love to work remotely for an American company, but I'm not sure how to go about it.
I'm very aware that Jerusalem is a very expensive city, but we finally found our circle of friends, have a handful of relatives here, kids are settled, and we both like our jobs.
We just hope and daven to be able to afford life here.
Good Shabbos


I found the best way to find a job is through word of mouth. Start telling all your friends, neighbors and family you are looking for a remote job. It's much harder to get a job from a job board. I got my job (not remote) from a neighbor who told me the place where she works was looking for someone. I did start in the 30's but got a raise within three months. You should really ask for a raise at your current place. How long have you worked at this place?
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amother
Canary


 

Post Sat, Jul 30 2022, 3:17 pm
You need to get a better job.

One way would be remote (average remote USA jobs are paying $15-$30 hour depending on what and level of experience) there are job boards and whats app groups like Outsourcing to Israel, NBN, Ramat eshkol nshei, but as someone said word of mouth is the best.

Another way to increase income would be to start a home based/self employed buisness from a skill you have and develop it as additional income. For example my husband learns during the day but he plays instrument and is pretty booked up, and makes 1000 nis a night. Obviously he needs to pay taxes on it so we take home less, but we don't have advertising expenses (he got out by word of mouth) and he usually has 2 gigs a week. Think about what skills you have and if there is a way to make money from that.

The third way is to retrain. My friend was teaching and was burnt out from the low salary and horrible treatment and she took a 3 month boot camp in cyber security and landed a job making triple what she did with a masters in math teaching in a maamad school. She is really happy. Another friend was a stay a home mom and she is taking a course in technical writing that also has high earning potential.

There is an organization called Kivun that offers free testing and counseling for this https://www.kivun.org.il/

The more radical move would to move out of Yerushalayim with much lower living expenses before you move to the USA with the insane tuiton and healthcare burdens+ recession that is expected top hit very soon...
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Bnei Berak 10




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Jul 30 2022, 4:43 pm
A point in COL in JLM: if I was in your shoes I would try to shop in poor areas of the city (which is usually chareidi areas) especially food.
So it's not 5-star super markets. Sometimes quite neglected. Brands that you are not familiar with etc. Financially it makes a huge difference.
OP, how long have your been here?
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amother
OP


 

Post Sat, Jul 30 2022, 4:47 pm
Thanks for all the kind and caring suggestions!
I have a home based business, based on a specific talent.
I do have a customer base, but I do have to advertise pretty often, and when you're living one shekel at a time, advertising is not usually within budget .
I used to have a full page in the newcomers guide, which brought steady business, but it's insanely expensive, so I dropped it.
My business is very local, with a great potential, but I would have to invest in steady advertising to keep it going
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amother
Canary


 

Post Sat, Jul 30 2022, 5:33 pm
amother [ OP ] wrote:
Thanks for all the kind and caring suggestions!
I have a home based business, based on a specific talent.
I do have a customer base, but I do have to advertise pretty often, and when you're living one shekel at a time, advertising is not usually within budget .
I used to have a full page in the newcomers guide, which brought steady business, but it's insanely expensive, so I dropped it.
My business is very local, with a great potential, but I would have to invest in steady advertising to keep it going


I don't know what you do but here are my ideas:
Have you tried cheaper advertising?
I don't know where you are but I know people have found the nshei emails more effective then the newcomers guide, and they are cheaper.

If its a food based business doing Instagram collaborations can be effective
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mom1625




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 02 2022, 4:55 pm
If you are interested, a lot of people here use LinkedIn to grow their businesses and to network. You can learn a lot just by reading other people's posts and adding contacts. If you dm me I can give you the name of someone who runs English-speaking networking groups here (aside from the fact that I have a lot of friends here in different sectors who might be able to help as well).
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