Before you hit the stores and start paying “Passover prices” on all your holiday staples, here is a great tip that came from reader and friend, Shelley S:
Last night I started to get concerned about Pesach! The cooking! The Cleaning! The expense of it all!
I opened up my pantry and was pleasantly surprised to see just how many unopened KLP items I had in there (that was purchased throughout the year by chance, or, on sale!)Items I found and will use for Pesach include:
- jam (3 jars!)
- cocoa
- sugar (8lb’s!)
- balsamic vinegar/red wine vinegar/white wine vinegar
- duck sauce
- Grape Juice
- chocolate chips (4 bags!)
- canned pineapples
- canned whole cranberries
- marinara sauce
- mayonnaise
It looks to me like it’s at $100+ worth of groceries (at right-before-Pesach prices).
Shelley contacted her local rabbi, who recommend that she wipe down the unopened cans and bottles etc, but apart from that, his answer was, “Why not save the money?!”
I would add that unprocessed meat and chicken (no spices or flavoring added, etc) can be purchased anytime for use Pesach. It does not require additional certification.
So, don’t wait until a week before Passover to buy your chickens or roast — grab them anytime that your store has them on sale. (Thanks, Yoel for the reminder.)
As always, check any questions you have about this — or any other Passover money-saving tip — with your LOR.
Check out more of my Passover on a Budget Tips:
- Make a Passover Price List with Friends
- Budget Ahead for Pesach
- Save Year-Round for Pesach
- The Magic Number for Pesach Spending
- Do Without
- On Slavery & Credit Card Debt
- Use Google Calendar to Make Passover Notes
- Find Out What Foods Don’t Need a Special Hechsher for Pesach
- 18 Foods That Don’t Need KLP Certification
- 43 Non-Food Items That Don’t Need Passover Certification (So stop wasting your money!)
FYI…about the chicken/meat. Not all butchers are KLP year round. Even if the meat you are buying isn’t spiced etc, one local store uses the same equipment as their ready-to-grill/prespiced meats. Unfortunately.
But I always shop my pantry first! And in the months leading up to pesach I see if my stores have any sales. Found BBQ sauce KLP! At cheaper than year round prices! Unfortunately they only had one but I was glad to nab it! 🙂
Good point, MomOfOne!
If you live near a Stop n Shop supermarket, there is a coupon in this week’s ad for a free 5 Lb package of matzah if you spend $25. Limit one per customer. So my husband and I went shopping, each took a cart, and each spent about $40 and walked out with 10 lbs of free matzah that we will share with family members and likely donate some of the boxes as well. There ARE sales and great bargains to be found if you look. BJ’s has season sardines KP all year long. When Hershey’s cocoa is on sale at Target for $2.99 during the year, I grab an extra 2 and put them away. Better than paying $4.49 or more before pesach. Chag sameach!