One of the hardest things to stop doing after making aliyah is converting shekels back to dollars. I still find myself, when trying to figure out if something is expensive or not, calculating how much it would be in US dollars. This practice is obviously not fair (to me) and can only lead to frustration. We have generally come to terms with the fact that as Israelis we will be making less money than we could have in the States and most products will nevertheless cost more than they did in the good ole USofA. Such is life here (but thank the lord for trips back to visit family, aka trips to Target).
The one place where I have completely stopped converting back to dollars is the grocery store. Even pretty early on I got to know the average prices of food stuffs and felt no need to compare to what we paid back States-side. But now, instead of comparing to dollars, I incessantly compare between grocery stores, which is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because the prices between stores really do differ and in pretty significant ways. For example, there is a cooking oil that I sometimes like to use called Zeitola - a combination of olive oil (zeyit) and canola oil. Sometimes I have a hard time even finding this product because you never know when it's going to be in stock or not (more on that later), but when I do find it, the prices are all over the board. The average price I pay for Zeitola is 17nis (nis = new Israeli shekel). This morning, at the Chareidi market (more on that later, too) they were fully stocked with Zeitola and it was only 14nis! When I continued my shopping expedition (going to multiple grocery stores in one trip has become the norm), I found that our local branch of Shufersal Sheli was also fully stocked with Zeitola, but selling it for 23nis! These two markets are less than a block from each other.
These "extreme" price differences can drive one crazy (here's where the curse part comes in) as you travel from shop to shop buying different products in different places, trying to keep straight in your head who has the best prices on what where. And there is no logic to it. Our corner store, which is generally the most expensive overall, has the cheapest tomato sauce in our entire neighborhood. The Chareidi market, which generally has the best prices, is least consistent in stocking the products you're looking for, so every time you go in it's a gamble on whether they'll even have what you want anymore. I used to go this this store for two products in particular, carob spread and 100% natural apple juice concentrate, which were cheaper here than anywhere else I had seen. Neither of these products are stocked there anymore, which has taught me the lesson of not getting attached to certain products or prices. You just never know.
To add the the shopping madness, I like to do my fruit and veggie shopping either at the shuk (open air market) or at the independent fresh produce stand. Quality and prices are much better than super markets. I also generally buy my fish at the fish monger and my meat at the butcher, which adds two more stops to my shopping excursions. I'm not sure the prices on fish and meat are any better than the grocery store, but I like the experience and freshness of going there.
Many of our Israeli friends have moved past this madness by driving to the big discount super markets (those with cars) or simply moving past the price comparison shopping and ordering all their groceries online, after which they get delivered directly to their door. We might get there one day (we'll see what comes first: a car or succumbing to online shopping), but as for now, I kind of enjoy my crazy shopping method.
Shabbat Shalom and have a great weekend,
Stef and Matt
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