For all who are making Pesach w/o money tell me you secret

amother

Green

Mon, Apr 15 2019, 9:25 am

amother [ Forestgreen ] wrote:

We’re having 10 people for each seder, and about 6 for all other meals.
I spent
About $250 including meat, chicken, salmon, eggs, grape juice, seltzer, other ingredients, etc (we’re Chabad and don’t use processed foods so it keeps it down, although I did buy some for kids and the days before Pesach).
A bit more than $100 on wine.
$100 on matzah (10 pounds shmurah).
About $50 (didn’t add it up exactly but something like that) on disposable pans and paper goods.
Will probably spend about $80 on produce.
About $20 on kitchen covering supplies.
Will dry clean my husband’s clothes but not buying any new stuff for me or him (did buy my baby some new clothes but he needed them anyway).
I only have an hour of cleaning help a week.

This year I didn’t need to buy any appliances or kitchen things but I bought some new Haggadahs and a matzah cover for $140 altogether.

Total approximately $700. If I had stuck to the absolute basics I could have kept it to about $500. I could imagine a simple Pesach not being radically more expensive for 18 people - more matzah and wine would be the expensive part.

This doesn't add up! I'm feeding 8 people (7 adults), and there wouldn't be enough food to go around with this amount. Even with all the cutting of the corners, since my husband has been out of work for some time, it would be an impossible feat.

amother

Forestgreen

Mon, Apr 15 2019, 9:55 am

keym wrote:

10 pounds of matzo for 14 people seems very little. Even if there's no matzah during Chol hamoed, you still need for 2 sedarim and 6 yt seudos.
And $80 for produce? How? If you're stretching. 14 people for 8 days. I've done this. 50 pounds potatoes, 30 pounds onions, 50 pounds carrots, 30 pounds apples, bananas, oranges. That's nothing fancy only cheap produce. But still it adds up. $1/$1.20 per pound.

Since we ordered the matzah we invited a few more guests so I do think we need some more. But we don’t eat gebrochts so the matzah consumption aside from the sedarim and the last day is minimal.
I honestly don’t know what I would do with 50 pounds of carrots and 30 pounds of apples. Surprised

And I know what I’m doing, this is not my first time making Pesach. Everyone will be full and satisfied and happy. I make a lot of variety too.
I get produce from a cheap farmer’s market.
If Pesach cost me $2000 I would have to seriously reevaluate, because I couldn’t afford that. This is what is financially manageable for us and we’re not exactly cutting corners.

amother

Forestgreen

Mon, Apr 15 2019, 9:59 am

oliveoil wrote:

I would like to know exactly what $80 of produce buys you.

I cannot understand how that could possibly feed 6 people for 8 days.

Something really is not adding up here.

I’m doing my produce shopping today and will post here what I end up buying and spending. But I see that I probably buy and cook less than most people.

sky

Mon, Apr 15 2019, 10:04 am

amother [ Forestgreen ] wrote:

I’m doing my produce shopping today and will post here what I end up buying and spending. But I see that I probably buy and cook less than most people.

I spent $50 on baking apples and potatoes and onions only. And we are less people. I’d love to know how you are stretching it

keym

Mon, Apr 15 2019, 10:07 am

amother [ Forestgreen ] wrote:

We don't eat gebrochts either. But 5 shiurim for each seder (per person) plus a shiur each by each seudah. Even if you hold of smaller shiurim....10 pounds is paltry.
I would love to see a menu of what you serve with $80 of produce.
Do your guests sleep over? Or is it just yt seudos?
I find keeping my family full yt afternoon and all 4 days of Chol hamoed is the challenge.
It ends up being hash browns and eggs for breakfast, baked potatoes with veggies and cheese for lunch, mashed potatoes with some chicken or meatballs, carrots, squash for supper, homemade cake and lots of cheap apples and oranges for snacks to nibble all day.
That's my cheap menu.
So yeah 50 pounds of potatoes to feed 14 people seems little unless there is more chicken and meat.

amother

Forestgreen

Mon, Apr 15 2019, 10:08 am

sky wrote:

I spent $50 on baking apples and potatoes and onions only. And we are less people. I’d love to know how you are stretching it

I’m also curious at the discrepancy. I wonder what all the details are that make it so different. Will post later with amounts.

Is anyone with me, or does everyone spend astronomical amounts on Pesach food? I feel like I’m doing it wrong Very Happy

even though this works perfectly for us.

keym

Mon, Apr 15 2019, 10:17 am

amother [ Forestgreen ] wrote:

even though this works perfectly for us.

I wondered. Are these guests for meals only or for over yt including afternoons and Chol hamoed?

amother

Forestgreen

Mon, Apr 15 2019, 10:21 am

keym wrote:

I wondered. Are these guests for meals only or for over yt including afternoons and Chol hamoed?

The 6 guests are sleeping over for all Yom Tov days. They won’t be here for some of chol hamoed, but even if they were I wouldn’t be making new, costly meals. It would be eggs, potatoes, leftovers, etc.

keym

Mon, Apr 15 2019, 10:25 am

amother [ Forestgreen ] wrote:

I never said costly meals. But enough boiled potatoes, eggs, and cheap vegetables to keep 14 happy and satisfied for 4 days of Chol hamoed can add up to quite a bit.

ra_mom

Mon, Apr 15 2019, 10:26 am

amother [ Forestgreen ] wrote:

A whole kugel made with 5 pounds of potatoes and 8 eggs, also a cup of expensive oil, would be polished off by 7 people just in between a meal, for a snack. 🙈

greenfire

Mon, Apr 15 2019, 10:39 am

spending on simplicity doesn't mean it doesn't cost a lot ... even spices are more expensive for pesach & basic necessities add up

also consider that a lot of things need to be new for yom tov from the rolls of aluminum paper, dish washing soap & sponges, + ALL the foods at the very same week & nothing is spread over the month ~ this alone makes it harder to budget

amother

Seagreen

Mon, Apr 15 2019, 4:27 pm

amother [ Forestgreen ] wrote:

The matzah was actually $11 per pound and I really hope it’s good because yes it’s cheaper than I’ve ever seen. Someone where I live made a bulk order.
I don’t ration meat or anything but I don’t cook endless quantities, or expensive options. I do one meat dish per meal, and then lots of cheaper vegetable sides. There’s always tons of food, and leftovers for chol hamoed.

Where do I get for 11 dollars a pound??

Names of stores? Contact number? Pls

thunderstorm

Mon, Apr 15 2019, 4:46 pm

amother [ Forestgreen ] wrote:

even though this works perfectly for us.

Produce is easily $200 for our family of 6.
I start off with 30 lbs potatoes for the first days and I usually need more by the time the end days roll around. Each 9x13 Kugel is 5lbs of potatoes right there. Chremslach is another 5 lbs.
Latkes another 5lb etc. it uses up easily.
I stopped buying a case of apples to make apple sauce because apples have become expensive in the last few years .
I plan on shopping at a farmers market this year for the first time and I'm curious to see how much it'll cost me. Over the years I realized we spend around $1,000-$1200 (excluding matzah and cakes) on basic food.
Please post what you purchased and prices is love to compare.

princessleah

Mon, Apr 15 2019, 5:21 pm

This may be somewhat controversial, but I really believe, that for anyone who is having trouble making yom tov because of financial constraints, they should be given a heter to eat machine matzah. Or if not that, gebrokts. Or if not that, kitniyot. It is getting harder and harder. If you're not willing to give up the shmura (or hand-shmura), at least fill up on rice and beans. And frankly the leaders and rabbonim should be making sure that everyone should have the means to make pesach and if they don't, they should be giving out heterim like flyers on a street corner.

I was at Stop and Shop yesterday and they had a coupon where you could get 5 boxes of machine matzah FOR FREE.

amother

Hotpink

Mon, Apr 15 2019, 5:31 pm

princessleah wrote:

I agree. The Viznitz Monsey Rebbe ztz''l often said that he ate machine matza until his bar mitzva. If it was good enough for the scion of Viznitz, it should be good enough for our children too.

BetsyTacy

Mon, Apr 15 2019, 5:35 pm

I agree, princessleah, although I think I stop at the kitniyot heter. That has been a strong minhag for hundreds of years. It's hard to say that machine matzo was not allowed hundreds of years ago when machines didn't exist.
I was about to write that I am surprised that rabbis would rather have people accept tzedakah, and use the limited tzadakah pool, to have people eat shmura matzo other than at the seder, but not much surprises me anymore.