Chasing the Fionist Dream

We tend to be known in local circles as the couple who (almost) never pays full price for anything. We find thrill in chasing down the best deals and love stretching our money as far as it will go. Why pay more money for something when you can get the same thing for less?

This post is not about free hand-me-downs or bartering with friends. The list below is composed of things that we do buy, but never at full price, and consider to be similar quality to their full price alternatives.

So how do we do it?

Groceries – We share our best shopping tips in this post. Read the post. Nuff said 🙂

Toiletries – We stock up on store brand toiletries when they are on sale. We buy most of our shampoos, toothpastes, deodorants, facewash, etc at Superpharm during their second item for 1 shekel and/or 5 shekel per item sales. These happen every few months (follow their advertising) and include most Life brand items. We find the quality great.

Clothes and housewares – When we do buy clothes and things for our home, we either wait for local stores to have their 50-70% off sales, go to outlet stores (which sell the same products but last year’s model and a third of the price) or we order from European sites like NEXT, which are much cheaper than Israeli stores and have excellent quality products. When winter started, our puddle-happy kids asked for rubber boots. After a basic Google search showed that the cheapest waterproof children’s boots went for 120-200 shekels here in Israel, we ordered them each a pair on NEXT. The boots were 50 shekels a pair and we paid (via PayPal) entirely with money we had earned from surveys. Please continue to pray for rain, both for Israel’s agriculture and for puddles for our kids to jump in.

Appliances – As always, do your research and read reviews. A cheap appliance that doesn’t work well isn’t a good deal. It’s a waste of money. You can find brand new great quality appliances for cheaper as floor models, during occasional sales, or by thinking outside the box and looking elsewhere, as appliance stores aren’t the only ones selling appliances these days. For things you don’t feel the need to test or feel with your hands before you buy, Shufersal Online sells appliances that they bring into Israel through their own parallel import, making them much cheaper than the same name brand appliances brought in via “official” channels. We bought our washer and dryer from them a couple years ago. Not only was Shufersal running a sale on all of their appliances, any purchase over 1,000 shekels got 300 shekels to use at Shufersal. Who doesn’t need groceries? Great appliances can also occasionally be found at Osher Ad. And remember, no matter what you do, it never hurts to haggle.

Furniture – While you might not always want to buy second hand appliances as they often don’t come with a warranty, second hand furniture is wonderful. The best deals can be found during moving season when people discover that their almost brand new couch/closet/dining set doesn’t fit in their new home and they need to get rid of it quickly. Before our kids were born, we bought our (now well-worn and well bounced on) living room couches from new olim who were moving back to Brazil. We paid 2,000 shekels for an almost new set they had purchased for 6,000.

Monthly subscriptions/plans – We have been paying the introductory rates for our internet and phones for years now. Just call and ask. If they tell you no, find a new provider.

Attractions/activities – It is incredibly likely that you are part of some sort of discount club (מועדון הטבות) whether you know about it or not. If you are part of a workers union, live in the same city as the attraction, have a credit card or simply have a Groo (Groupon) account, you have access to deals if you know where to look.

Flights – There are many ways to save money on flights. Our favorites are traveling off season, buying tickets far in advance when we want to travel in season, adding layovers if they are significantly cheaper, searching for flights in incognito, and setting up Google alerts to let us know when the price for the flight we want drops.

Dentists – Children’s dentistry is free through kupat cholim until age 18 and dental care for adults is much cheaper than at a private clinic. Before you start knocking kupah dentists, ask around and get recommendations. Just like in the private sector, quality can vary between clinics and doctors. Alternatively, if you live near a dental school (many large Israeli universities have one) and have time to spare, the students are always looking for people to practice on and are all supervised by top professionals.

Glasses – Check which opticians and glasses stores work with your kupat cholim. Depending on your age, prescription and level of kupah coverage, you may be eligible for free or heavily discounted glasses. Check your kupah’s website for details. If you know your prescription and want to get new frames or a backup pair, sites like Zenny Optical can be a good option. And like above, if you live near a university and have time to spare, opticians in training will be more than happy to practice on you while being supervised by top pros.

In conclusion
Saving money doesn’t have to mean lower quality goods and services or going without. By opening your eyes to the opportunities around you, you are sure to find ways to buy the same things for less. And as always, we are always learning and honing our Fionist skills.

What things do you never pay full price for?