Madatech, if you haven't heard of it,
is a Science Museum, located in the heart of Haifa. It's a pretty good Science Museum (and we have seen MANY Science Museums in the past
18 years!), and all of my kids (aged 8-17 at the time we went) found things that interested
them and kept them busy for our whole day there!
--- Retrieved from http://www.kosherfrugal.com/2016/05/free-admission-is-back-at-madatech.html ---
Normally,
it's pretty pricey to take a family to Madatech (base price is 340
shekels for a family of 4 according to the website, and each additional child is 50 shekels), so
naturally, when we found out it was free on Wednesdays in February and March, we took a day to go. I wholeheartedly recommend you find a way to go too.
And now,
Free Admission is back - Get into MadaTech in Haifa for FREE on Wednesdays in September, October, November, and December.
The following Wednesdays are excluded (admission is NOT free these days):
October 5 (Tzom Gedalya)
October 19 (Chol HaMoed Sukkot)
December 28 (Chanukah)
In addition, please note that the museum is closed on Erev Yom Kippur and Yom Kippur (October 11-12)
This promotion ends December 22, 2016
Opening hours on Wednesday are 10am - 4pm, so plan accordingly!
UPDATE: Tickets are only issued until 2pm, and you cannot get in without one, even though it's free. Be sure to arrive before the ticket counter closes!
Also, I was just told that the museum closes at 3pm, not 4pm as posted above (though I took the times from the museum's website).
The Emek Hefer Apiary is expanding last week's Silan recall:
The new recall is for two additional varieties of Silan, that, due to a suspected packaging problem, may have become bloated during normal storage conditions, are the following products:
Emek Hefer Silan, Pure Date Syrup 100% Natural, in 250g squeeze bottles, with barcode 729001235921, and expiration date 18/12/17
Emek Hefer Silan, Choice Date Syrup, in 500g squeeze bottles, with barcode 729001235330, and expiration date 4/01/18
Consumers
who have purchased any of the products listed above are instructed NOT
to consume them. Please call customer service at 04-637-1674 or
04-637-0105 to arrange your return.
Don't forget to follow me on Facebook so you stay up to date with important info!
T'vuot brand is recalling certain packages of Organic Rolled Oats, due to an unusual scent in some of them, which may indicate a problem with the packaging.
The affected products are:
Organic Thick Rolled Oats, 500g package, barcode 7290011473051 with a use by date of 30/12/2017 and production code 242
Consumers are instructed not to consume this product. The product can be returned to the store where purchased, or call customer service at 02-579-0972 to arrange for your refund.
Another case of Salmonella (still awaiting comfirmation), at Telma is the cause of the recall the following products:
Cereal called "Kariyot Nougat" - most or all of which has not been sent to market.
In the event that some was sent out, the recall affects those boxes of cereal (only the Kariyot Nougat) that were produced on production line D with production dates 18/09/16, 19/09/16, and 20/09/16 and expiration dates 13/09/17, 14/09/17, and 15/09/17.
The company says that none of the affected products were sent to market.
Today's recall is Silan - Date Honey.
The Emek Hefer Apiary announced a recall that affects Natural Date Honey, in squeeze bottles (only), sizes 340g and 490g.
Some bottles are bloated, suggesting the product is defective. The products are currently undergoing testing.
The following products are affected:
1. Emek Hefer brand - Silan Pure Date Syrup, 100% Natural, barcode 7290012359385
2. Shufersal Green brand - Natural Silan, Date Syrup with no added Sugars, barcodes 7296073222811 and 7296073229766
3. Saba Chaviv brand - Natural Silan, Pure Date Syrup, barcode 7290011593070
The recall affects the products listed above with a use by dateד of 17/02/17, 16/06/17, 18/06/17, 19/08/17, 6/09/17, and 19/04/18
Consumers who have purchased any of the products listed above are instructed NOT to consume them. Please call customer service at 04-637-1674 or 04-637-0105 to arrange your return.
As reported on Globes.co.il, unsafe eggs are being sold with forged stamps on them.
About 5,000 eggs that were deemed unfit for sale, due to lack of veterinary oversight at the farms where they are produced, were discovered in the Machane Yehuda Market in Jerusalem. The eggs appear to have been smuggled into Israel from the PA-controlled territories, and do not have appropriate certification that they are safe to consume. They could pose a health risk to the public.
The eggs were removed from the seller's stalls (yes, he has two separate stalls).
A long time ago, when I lived in America, we were not wealthy, but we managed to make ends meet and even saved a bit of money from time to time.
I new how to find good deals when my family needed STUFF, and I was a very good grocery shopper, always merging my beliefs about what is quality food with my desire to spend less. So I bought antibiotic-free kosher chickens at SuperTarget, or wherever they were on sale. I scoured reduced racks for organic cereal for 90% off, and paired those purchases with coupons. I shopped at BJ's or Sam's Club too, finding great deals on things like organic coffee, big bags of avocados, organic shelf-stable milk boxes, juice boxes for treats, etc.
And then, we made Aliyah. I had a hard time adjusting to the idea of giving up pesticide-free foods I'd gotten SO used to buying. I had a hard time finding healthy ready-to-eat snacks and treats for the family. Strawberries were suddenly a luxury, and we'd had them regularly in Florida! My kids had a hard time with the new flavors of Israel - bananas tasted different, milk tasted different, and to this day, one of my former yogurt loving children will NOT touch Israeli yogurt! Everything seemed like an uphill climb. I sought out familiar brands online and at health food stores, but suddenly my grocery spending was completely out of control!
Eventually, I realized it was time to adjust, using a bit of tough love - "Kids," I said, "from now on, we are going to learn to love the foods of Israel". And we started to reign in the spending (around the time this blog was "born").
Here are some ideas I have if you are struggling to adjust to Israeli grocery shopping, and if you are spending more than you can afford:
1. Decide what your maximum expenditure on food will be per week, and do NOT allow yourself to go over. It helps a lot to add up your purchases on a calculator as you walk thru the store! I have been seen at the grocery store many, many times carrying a calculator! (Now I mainly use my phone, but you can see my well-worn calculator pictured above!)
2. Do not buy any convenience foods - these end up costing a lot and are usually not so healthy. Find acceptable alternatives tailored to your family's needs. If you're buying bourekas, consider serving roasted potatoes (even with a sprinkling of cheese melted on top it will still be less expensive!); if it's cookies, consider baking your own, or substituting with fresh fruit, if you're buying frozen pizza, find a way to make your own easily, or else at least save some of the expense by making pita pizzas...
3. Get to know the list of price controlled foods. While you are getting your bearings, it's worth it to buy the cheapest bread, eggs, etc that you can.
4. Find alternatives to cereal. In America, cereal is a dirt cheap breakfast, especially with sales and coupons. Not So in Israel! Here it's expensive. Try making oatmeal, breakfast muffins, or other simple breakfast options.
5. Fresh fruit in season is the least expensive sweet treat you'll find. And when you buy what's in season, they will taste best AND will give you the best value. (If you have access to a shuk, you'll often get the best deal there! I saw tons of fruit at the shuk in Teverya for 10 shekels for 3kg last week - and yes, even stalls with a teudah had this price!) Oh - and if you have space in your freezer, buy extra fruit, chop, and freeze for out-of-season use! You can also freeze those deliciously sweet grapes for an awesome treat.
6. Buy fresh vegetables at the best price you can find! I really try to get lots and lots of vegetables for 2 shekels/kg - Seek out the deals! You'll be eating healthy for much less money!
7. Carrots and cucumbers make a great snack. Make a simple dip (chumus works, as does techina, or many other options) if your family won't eat them plain. They are a lot less expensive than crackers and pretzels!
8. Eggs can be the basis of a meal, and are a pretty inexpensive protein. So are legumes. Get to know lentils and black beans and chick peas! Save the chicken and meat for Shabbat.
9. When your budget is not very flexible, don't stock up! You don't need to pay interest on a minus in the bank because you have 3 months worth of food in the pantry. There will be another sale. (If you are trying to build a stockpile, then you'll need to find a way to clear some room in your budget to do so - don't go into minus for a stockpile!)
Those are my thoughts for today! Please help me add more tips to this list - leave me a comment below about how YOU control your spending.
It's that time of year again. When we are all trying to recover from summer vacation (when many, many people overspend), and the Holidays are just ahead.
This is a good time to check out the list of price controlled foods, and make sure you're not overpaying for something. Or you could switch from a pricey food to some of these regulated foods for a while, in an effort to save money.
So, here is the updated list of regulated food prices.
1. BREADS
2. SALT
3. DAIRY PRODUCTS
4. EGGS
The price for eggs sold in other size cartons (18 or 30) would be according to the same scale as above. So, for a carton of 18 Large eggs, the maximum price is 17.18nis
There's always talk of adding items to the list (like fresh vegetables) or making changes (like swapping whole wheat bread for the white bread), but for now, this is the list of price-regulated foods.
If your store is overcharging for any of these items (check to be sure they are in fact the price-regulated item and not a premium version) - you can report the store to the proper authority using this online form.
Hope this helps you save more money, and don't forget to follow me on Facebook for more tips!
There have been a few recalls I haven't yet reported here. Here's what you need to know:
1. Tavlinei Maimon Spices:
The manufacturer is recalling the following products, due to the presence of mold in some of the packages:
a. Coarsely Ground Chili Pepper - 80g bottle, barcode 7290010002214, with production code 123903, and expiration date 03-2017
b. Whole Chili Peppers, 150g bag, barcode 7290010003815, with production code 124018, and expiration date 04-2017
The public is advised not to consume these products. Please call the company at 1-700-071-071 to arrange your return
2. Importer Dan Next Imports announced that a small number of packages of Dibus Mini {Cookies} were incorrectly labeled Gluten-Free.
While these cookies are free of eggs, nuts, and lactose, they DO contain gluten. Consumers are invited to return to the store where purchased for a refund, and steps are being taken to relabel the product.
3. Schleider Laboratories announced a recall of "Nature Premium" brand Premium Iron Syrup, due to a labelling issue.
The products being recalled are labeled with Batch code B: 22061601 and have an expiration date of 06/2019. Consumers who purchased this product should call the company at 02-595-2770 to arrange your return.
Quick - take this opportunity to shop at Better World Books TODAY and get 20% off your purchase of 5+ used books!
Sale ends Thursday at 3 pm EDT (10pm Israel time) -- SO HURRY! Get some good reads for those long winter Friday nights that will soon be here!
(CLICK HERE to shop the Bargain Bin Now!)
This time, we have a Listeria related Recall AND a Salmonella related Recall! (Ugh, but I digress)
Here's what you need to know:
The first recall involves smoked salmon PIECES, sold in industrial (3 kg) size packages (mainly supplied to deli/prepared foods sellers), manufactured by "Yisragal Metterman", with a manufacture date of 17/08/2016 and a sell-by date of 17/09/2016
Anyone who has purchased this product is instructed NOT to eat it, as it may be contaminated with Listeria. Please return it to the place where purchased. Anyone who needs more information, please call the manufacturer at 08-856-8013
The second recall involves packages of "Yemenite Malawach", manufactured by "Ofrah" and sold by Neto, with a production date of 6.9.2016. The barcode is 7290002757757
The product may be contaminated with Salmonella and is being removed from store shelves.
Anyone who has purchased this product is instructed NOT to eat it. Please call the
manufacturer at 04-624-9178 to receive a replacement.
Normally,
it's pretty pricey to take a family to Madatech (base price is 340
shekels for a family of 4 according to the website, and each additional child is 50 shekels), so
naturally, when we found out it was free on Wednesdays in February and March, we took a day to go. I wholeheartedly recommend you find a way to go too.
