How can you plan a budget when you don’t know what the extra expenses will be? Knowing what to expect makes a big difference–here’s an outline of the expenses your daughter may come across during her year in seminary.
Are you sending your daughter to seminary/yeshiva in a few weeks? Are you already worried about the financial aspect of it? Below you’ll find a list of tips and tricks breaking down when to expect more money to be spent and creative ways your child can save while still having the once in a lifetime experience the year in Israel is!
Special Occasion Spending
There are some peak points throughout the seminary year where your child’s spending will be higher than other times. These break down to arrival, bein hazmanim, and the end of the year.
When your child first arrives in Israel she will need to spend on the basics that they didn’t bring with them from home. This includes toiletries, loading a rav kav (bus card) for the first time, grocery stocking, and maybe extra supplies for them to be comfortable in their dorm. Even though your child will need to restock on most of these throughout the year, having all the costs at once in the beginning can seem intense. Knowing that the supplies your child buys will last them a while can help you feel calmer about where the money is going.
Over Bein Hazmanim and if there is a winter break, your child might have the opportunity to eat out more, do fun and different activities and explore more than usual. Expect an increase in spending around Sukkos and Pesach and let them enjoy their time knowing that this type of spending really will only be for those few special occasions in their year. Ways for your daughter to make smart decisions is to do group activities and consider distance, price, and what the activity is. If your daughter is not interested in the activity, remind her not to feel pressured to do it.
At the end of the year you might see an increase in spending as your child is buying gifts for everyone back home, getting gifts for different teachers and friends, and enjoying the end of the year. Remember that they’ll be home soon and let them finish off their year strong while also discussing potential budgets or limits on this type of spending.
Recurring Spending
Spending that will be recurring throughout the year will include transportation, food, and essentials. Each category has options for what the spending can look like. This is a great opportunity to have a conversation with your daughter about these spendings and to form good habits as she heads off for the year.
Transportation could be taxis, bussing, or walking. Depending on how far your daughter is traveling will impact her decision on what mode of transportation to take as well as making a thoughtful decision. In some Yerushalayim traffic walking might be faster than taking the bus. This could save money over time and allow your daughter to enjoy the views and scenes as she walks around. Obviously it is most important to take safety into consideration when making travel and transportation decisions. Deciding to walk with a friend or in a group could end up saving money and lead your daughter to have even more meaningful experiences and conversations as she commutes.
Food spending will also be a big chunk of your daughter’s budget while she is in seminary. Going out with old friends, new friends, trying new restaurants, groceries, and food while commuting will all contribute to this. A way to enjoy and not overspend could be deciding with your daughter when and what is important to her to buy food. Does she want to go out for pizza on Friday with friends? Would she rather save up and spend on a bigger night out when the seminary has the night off? If the school is offering meals is she still going out or is she finding options available to her through seminary? If she is buying groceries, is she looking at the prices? Planning what she wants to eat? These are questions that can help navigate the conversation on how much and how often money is being spent on food.
Essentials like laundry and toiletries will be expenses that will come up throughout the year. Buying the larger size items could make sense because usually they are cheaper and will last longer throughout the year. For example, if the store sells a box of 26 laundry pods this could be exactly enough to last the entire year, assuming she does laundry approximately every other week. Another option could be buying multipacks with friends and splitting the cost which will save everyone money. If there is a BOGO free deal, have your daughter find a friend and split it so that they each only paid half. This way the expense can be bigger upfront but occur less frequently, saving you money in the long run.
Gifts will be a spending category that your child will buy every time they leave seminary for shabbos. Gifts will come at varying price points, which can be discussed with your child before she leaves for the year. Common options include candies, baked goods, or flowers. Another factor to what gift to get is how far your daughter and the gift will be traveling, and how it will hold up through the busy erev shabbos rush. When going away for shabbos with friends it is important to consider the size of the gift and make sure it is appropriate and also the overall price and price per person.
Seforim are widely known to be cheaper in Israel. That mixed with the need for certain seforim for classes and the essence of the year being spiritual growth can mean money being spent here. It is important to realize that not only will the seforim cost money but also to consider how they will be getting back home after the year or two are over. This can help the spending and help your child decide in which seforim they really want to invest. A fine balance of quality and quantity will need to be considered here.
Many kids with a business mind take some time during this independent year to start mini businesses. This could be a great option for generating a small amount of income. The key is for your child to get creative and find something that she will be excited about doing, and at the same time making sure it isn’t taking away from the ruchnius of the year. Common options include haircutting (even for girls!), shabbos gift packages, or baking, but there really is no limit on the options here.
Each avenue would require some investment, with the hopes of greater returns. For haircutting, all that’s needed are a pair of hair cutting scissors and a cape to drape over while giving the cuts. Shabbos gifts could mean buying some trays or dishes in bulk, or making candy platters. This would require some storage space in your daughter’s room but otherwise would be very helpful to her peers knowing they have an accessible and nice option for host gifts. Baking could be done in your daughter’s seminary room if allowed by the school policy.
Being informed and proactive are really the underlying messages of this article. Knowing where the spending can and will occur as well as making thoughtful decisions about them will help to understand where the money is going throughout the year. Downloading a budgeting app or starting a spreadsheet could be great options for keeping track of the spending each week, month, or over the course of the year. Realizing the balance between the physical and spiritual aspects of the year can also serve as a reminder for what the spending looks like.
As you can see there are a lot of opportunities to spend money while in Israel, some more essential than others. Weigh the factors of where to spend and save your money. I hope these tips here will help far beyond only the year in Israel. Have the best time!
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As girls get older and they babysit and make money from summer jobs, that money should go towards their seminary spend money. Parents are already financially strapped and tuition is expensive. It’s definitely nice to give some of the spending money but for the extras it should come out of their own pocket. It will help them budget better and they’ll think twice if something is necessary when they pay for it with their own money. It’s one of the biggest life skills that will prepare them for real life more than all the meforshim that they will be studying
100%
Save even more $ and stay home!
No, you can’t compare kedushas EY, but blowing 10s of 1000s of dollars after 12 years of bais yaakov education is mind-blowing! I can’t understand how middle- (and lower-) income people do it. Why is it a necessity? If your daughter needs it, then great (and no, shidduchim is not a need. Put on your resume that you saved 35k so your husband could learn an extra 2 yrs–yes I’m being facetious but I do think sem takes away time from their kollel years). Whatever hashkafos we want to impart, why can’t we make it a part of the high school curriculum? Now if you live in a place without a solid HS, or you need exposure to good frum people that you didn’t have growing up, then b’seder, make that decision. But when you see solid girls from great families paying these prices like sheep, you wonder why it’s even a thing for them.
Side point–anytime I’ve seen arguments pro vs. anti sem, in magazines or from talking to people–the VAST MAJORITY of people on the pro side are a) sem principals/teachers, b) people who were there 45 years ago (when it was actually an immersive ruchniyus experience, no phones, iced coffee, etc.), or c) girls who came back within the last 5 years. Parents are nearly 100% anti, and most women/girls down the line (once they appreciate the value of money more) say–it was really nice but not totally worth the money.
And that’s besides the people who hate it, were excessively homesick, etc. who didn’t get the full experience. Which seems like a LOT of people.
I’m confused why BY high schools treat sem in EY as the default option for everyone…
Yes it’s a lot of money but it’s not only about the learning. It’s a certain growing that a girl can only do when she’s away from home. One of the things is budgeting and figuring things out on your own. That’s why girls in seminary shouldn’t have an unlimited credit card…
You make it seems like a given that girls are going to seminary heir parents credit card. I worked hard for all of high school to pay my way for every single expense except seminary tuition. And I was forced to learn, budgeting along the way. My parents weren’t involved in how I spent my money during the year. It was up to me to be responsible and budget it so that I had enough. Just to add another perspective.