Smart Strategies from Living Smarter Jewish Financial Coach Stacey Zrihen
Pesach is stressful enough with cleaning, shopping, cooking, and hosting. Add the high cost of the holiday, and it can feel overwhelming.
“Many people think that if they’re spending a lot on Pesach, they must be doing something wrong — but they’re not,” says Certified Financial Planner Stacey Zrihen. Stacey is the senior director of coaching at Living Smarter Jewish, a project of the Orthodox Union dedicated to helping individuals, couples, and families achieve financial freedom by inspiring financial literacy and providing practical tools to make thoughtful, responsible financial choices.
“Pesach simply costs more,” she emphasizes. “Beyond rising prices, you’re essentially repurchasing many of the same items you already own from scratch. Going in, people should expect higher expenses.”
The good news is that there are practical ways to cut costs while still creating a beautiful, memorable Pesach. Ahead of the holiday, Stacey shares her expert tips for managing expenses.
What are some smart ways to avoid unnecessary Pesach spending?
Even before you go to the supermarket, start with a plan. Decide what matters most to you – you may choose to invest your money and efforts into setting a beautiful table, for example, rather than serving the most expensive roast. That’s totally valid. Then determine a budget, and create a menu based on the number of meals you’re making and the number of people at each one.
To plan your Pesach budget, use your regular budget as a basis. Suppose you are a family of six or seven, and you generally spend $500 a week on groceries. For the Pesach period — let’s say two weeks before the chag and the week of the chag itself — your budget for those three weeks will not total $1500. It’s going to be more like $2,500, or $3,000. Rather than spend it all at once, try to divide your Pesach shopping over a few weeks so you don’t have to incur such a large expense all at once. You may also have chametz in your freezer that you can use, which will help save money on groceries in the weeks leading up to Pesach, freeing up more funds for Pesach shopping.
Menus are a must. Start by planning what you’ll serve for each meal, and then turn that menu into a grocery list. Shopping with a list keeps you focused and prevents impulse purchases. Now is not the time to stock up. If you’re preparing six meals for the first days and plan to serve meat, decide in advance which cuts you’ll make. The goal is simple: leave the store with the ingredients for your menu and nothing extra.
What advice would you give to someone who may feel embarrassed about making a simpler Pesach because of financial constraints?
It’s all about confidence. You have to feel good about what you’re doing. For example, maybe your Seder table displays your children’s Pesach-themed art projects, and it brings you tremendous joy. When you come to the table and people sense your pride and confidence, they’ll feel that energy too.
What are three money-saving tips for Pesach, which would you say make the biggest difference?
- Stick to year-round ingredients whenever possible. Obviously, there are certain things that people who eat gebrokts will buy. You’re going to need cake meal and potato starch. But do you really need that kosher-for-Pesach sriracha? It’s easy to end up spending hundreds of dollars on specialty products just to use a teaspoon in a single recipe. There’s little point in buying an $8 ingredient that you’ll only use once — and that may not even be usable next year. Instead, look online for simple substitutes you can make yourself.
- If you’re going to overbuy, at least choose items that are likely to be eaten even after Pesach, that won’t go bad, and that can be frozen.
- Don’t be afraid to run out of something. There’s no reason to end up with extra food that will ultimately be thrown out.
Above all, keep in mind that a Seder is not meant to be a dinner party. It’s meant to be a religious experience. Remember, we’re eating lechem oni! Yes, we lean like kings, but we’re supposed to be connecting to Hashem. That will happen when you connect with your family, prepare a dvar Torah in advance, and even have the right intentions when you’re shopping and cooking. When I check out at the grocery store, I try to remember to thank Hashem for having food available for me to buy, for having money to pay for it, and for the ability to provide for my family.
It’s not always easy, and there are times that we slip — that’s human nature. The goal, though, is to play to your family’s strengths. If a family member shares the best dvar Torah, or your kids are very creative and can put on a play, make those the focal points. Those are the things that truly make the meal and that people will remember long after the holiday is over.
For more Living Smarter Jewish resources, visit livingsmarterjewish.org. To be matched with a financial coach or to create a written budget free of charge, click “Coaching options.”