Day One

9:30 am – Woke up late after staying up too late last night. Luckily I have some leftovers from shabbat dinner I’ll pack to have for lunch today.

10:15 am – I bike to work, enjoying my route and listening to a podcast (today is Where Should We Begin with Esther Perel).

10:30 am – I arrive and immediately make myself a coffee w/ almond milk (my personal supermarket order request – and I think I’m the only one drinking it in the office).

12:30 pm – Warm up my lunch – beef and veggie rice noodles (with extra brisket), though I can already tell it isn’t enough.

1:45 pm – I’m still hungry – snack on a few tehina oatmeal cookies I had left in the office last week.

3:45 pm – Starting to think about my workout today and prepare: I have a coffee and eat an apple with natural peanut butter (all provided at the office).

5:15 pm – I pack up and head to the gym which is located in the basement of my building. It’s amazing having a gym soo accessible (and free!), but I do miss going to a commercial gym and having the energy of lots of people around me. I don’t miss the crowds and waiting for machines, though. I do my own workout routine (strength training), but am often tempted to join in on one of the pilates/workout classes they offer a few times a week.

6:40 pm – Done at the gym, showered and all set to go.

7:00 pm – I arrive at happy hour and order a glass of wine (₪16!). I’m hungry but going to wait until I get home to have a proper dinner (I end up partaking in some of my friend’s labne).
₪16

8:50 pm – Bike home and stop to pick up lots of broccoli on the way (₪25). Being a Sunday (though really this could apply any day), sometimes it’s hard to find the produce you want in Tel Aviv. Got home; we immediately start making dinner (boyfriend picked up a kilo+ of chicken shnitzel, sweet potato, and range free eggs – ₪70).
₪25

9:40 pm – Eat dinner (chicken, sweet potato, broccoli).

10:30 pm – Whew, late night! Finally winding down.

12:00 am – I’m exhausted; the ~16:00 coffee was not a good idea, it’ll be over an hour before I can actually fall asleep!

Daily Total: ₪41

DAY TWO

9:30 am – Wake up, throw some leftovers together for lunch, and grab a 20 gram protein yogurt.

10:15 am – I’m out the door but forgot my headphones so no podcast or music on this commute.

11:00 am – After settling in, I make myself a coffee and yogurt parfait with the granola and honey we have in the office.

2:30 pm – Warm up lunch and have my 2nd and last coffee.

4:15 pm – I leave work to pick up extra food my boyfriend ordered to his office at WeWork nearby. Finish up some emails from there.

5:00 pm – Head to the grocery store on my way home to pick up stuff to make dinner: 800g chicken, olive oil, and basil. I already have broccoli, sweet potato, and soup at home to supplement.
₪75

7:00 pm – Make more chicken shnitzel, pesto, and broccoli.

9:00 pm – Boyfriend comes home from basketball and we eat dinner together. I have soup and chicken w/pesto, broccoli, and he has chicken, sweet potato, broccoli.

9:30 pm – Clean up and watch a TV show to unwind.

11:30 pm – Get ready for bed, but again couldn’t sleep until 12:45 pm.

Daily Total: ₪75

DAY THREE

10:00 am – I finally get up and start the day! I’m coming off a super hectic and busy ~4 months with work projects, and things have now quieted down until mid-December. I’m relishing and taking advantage of this time. I make a coffee and sit down to do some work from home.

12:30 pm – After getting some work done and a few phone calls later, i quickly tidy up the apartment for our cleaner (I don’t want to look like a slob!) and leave out ₪200 for her – it usually costs ₪150 for ~3 hours of work so she’ll leave me whatever change on the table.
₪200 (included in Monthly Expenses above)

12:45 pm – My boyfriend and I depart – I’m off to meet a friend for lunch and he runs out to grab the cleaning supplies we’re out of for our cleaning lady. I grab a yogurt and apple as a pre-workout snack.

1:15-3:00 pm – Long lunch with a good friend. I’m starving and should have eaten something before. We’re at a vegan spot so I know I won’t be super full after — so I order the Caesar kale salad w/lentils and a protein smoothie.
₪80

3:20 pm – Back at work.

4:00 pm – I eat the 20 gram protein yogurt, plain.

6:45 pm – Head home from the gym, no need to stop for groceries, we have enough leftovers to have for dinner tonight.

Daily Total: ₪80

DAY FOUR:

9:00 am – Today I took a personal day to run some much needed errands and catch up at work at home! Take my bike to go get my haircut. I live a 20 minute ride away from my fave stylist. Took me awhile to find a good hairdresser I love and she’s wonderful.
₪220

11:00 am – Back from my haircut, I brew myself a cup of coffee and sit down to do some work.

12:45 pm – Order a taxi on Gettaxi to drop off donated clothing at the WIZO donation box.
₪32.90

1:15 pm – My boyfriend and I grab some lunch at Brasserie (his treat: 170₪).

2:45 pm – Begin errands – first stop is the health food store. I picked up corn flour from the bulk section (₪4) and a coconut water on my way out (₪6.50)
₪10.50

3:15 pm – Stop in Fox Home to pick up a new tablecloth and 2 oven mitts. We went today because everything is 40% off.
₪121

3:30 pm – Next is the supermarket for some groceries – 1.3 kilos ground turkey, sweet potato, kale, canned tomatoes (₪66 – my boyfriend picked this up).

4:00 pm – Walk down to the bathroom supply store to pick up a suction shower holder (₪79, he picks it up).

4:30 pm – We’re ~12 min walk from home so we walk home to drop everything off and have a quick rest

5:00 pm – Take the bus (₪5.90) to the electric store in Florentine. They don’t have fans but they have the TV holder we need. No need to buy a tv- a friend has an extra one he doesn’t use anymore (₪100, boyfriend buys it).
₪5.90

5:50 pm – We are tired after a long day of errands! I call a taxi on the Gettaxi app to take us home. Fun way to end the day – our taxi goes by “CandyTaxi” and has lollipops all over his dashboard.
₪32.60

7:00 pm – Luckily there’s leftovers and I don’t need to cook. Add some eggs to the meal and warm the rest up.

Daily Total: ₪422.90

DAY FIVE

9:30 am – My sister is coming over for dinner tonight so I pull out the turkey, tomatoes, onions, and spices and throw it in my crockpot to cook all day. I have all the other ingredients on hand.

11:00 am – Grab a Bird (an electric scooter rental service) to head to work today since I need to bring home a drill to put up our TV.
₪10.50

2:30 pm – My sis surprises me at work with lunch!

5:15 pm – Grab the drill and take the bus home.
₪5.90

5:45 pm – Home to check on the crockpot and start making the rest of dinner. My sister brings over more ingredients to make the salad and veggie side dish.

Daily Total: ₪16.40

DAY SIX

3:00 pm – Lazy rainy day today in Tel Aviv. I’m meeting a friend for coffee at Sarona so I walk over and enjoy the fresh air. She treats me to coffee, too kind!

4:30 pm – My friend lives nearby so we walk to say hi and pick up the TV. I hail a cab to help me take it home.
₪17

8:15 pm – We’re feeling lazy and decide to go out for Sushi. It’s pouring rain so I order us a taxi.
₪27

10:30 pm – We decide to digest and walk home, luckily it’s no longer raining.

Daily Total: ₪44

DAY SEVEN

2:30 pm –Today I’m popping over to my best friend’s for some tea and catch up. I don’t feel like biking since Saturday’s are so busy on Rothchild Boulevard. I find a Bird nearby, much easier to zoom around people.
₪10.50

5:00 pm – No Birds nearby so I decide to walk home. There is a supermarket on the way and we’re out of paper towels, popcorn, and sugar. I pick up my boyfriend’s favorite chocolate too.
₪25

8:00 pm – Thursday’s leftovers for dinner, and some popcorn! Yumm.

Daily Total: ₪33.50