Published Winter 2014

With a little forethought and planning, you can implement some helpful year-round money saving tips in anticipation of Pesach.

To assess your budget, ask yourself:-  What do I typically spend on groceries per month?

–  What did I spend for Pesach last year?

–  What are the specifics of this year’s Pesach plans?

–  Will I be eating meals at home or eating out?

–  Will I have more expenses because I am entertaining guests?

–  What can I afford this year?

–  How can I cut back on expenses a month or two prior to Pesach?

–  What can I live without?

Decide on your menu, taking into account where chol hamoed falls out on the calendar, as well as fleishig/milchig meals.  Be sure to make a list before you go shopping. Hopefully, you can refer to your post-Pesach notes from the previous year to remind you of your ever-changing Pesach needs.  These could include:

– Number of boxes of matzah, matzah meal, cake meal, and potato starch used

– Number of bottles of wine needed

– Popular brands

– Amount of milk used

– Amount of chicken used

– Amount of produce needed

– Number of eggs used

– Products that were not eaten the previous year and are not needed this year

– Unpopular recipes not to be repeated

– Overbought or under-bought items from the previous year

For more money-saving tips, see the STAR-K 2016 Passover Directory.