Meet a Reader | Talia from Israel
Today we get to meet a reader who lives verrrry far away from my part of the world! I love meeting readers from anywhere, but it is especially fun to hear from readers who live in countries outside the U.S.
It's like a little free travel experience. 🙂
1. Tell us a little about yourself.
So, my name is Talia, I'm 55 and I live in Israel with my husband, Gil.
We have three grown kids and share our home with our two dogs and two cats.
I'm a freelance translator and work from home.
In my spare time, I volunteer in a number of capacities and travel around our beautiful country.
Israel is tiny, but is so geographically diverse that you can drive from a snow-capped mountain to the lowest point on Earth, the Dead Sea, in six hours.
We love discovering new places and seeing history come alive in places that you read about in the Old Testament. Jerusalem is my favorite city and I visit whenever I have the chance.
Because Israel is close to so many great locations, we also love finding low-cost flights to remote Greek islands or exciting European cities, especially during the off-season, and discovering them on a shoestring budget.
2. How long have you been reading The Frugal Girl?
I've been reading the Frugal Girl for at least three years, maybe longer.
3. How did you get interested in saving money?
I grew up with parents who didn't really know how to deal with finances.
They both worked very hard and earned relatively well but had no idea how to handle their money. They were always struggling to finish off the month and there was always an air of stress with anything to do with money.
I promised myself that I'd never be like my parents. I worked from a young age and saved most of my money.
When I met my husband, it was a relief that he was of the same mindset. We have been together for over 30 years and agree on nearly all things financial. It was important to both of us that we never go into debt, but it was also important to me, personally, that I be a stay-at-home mom.
We needed to find a way to allow that, and that's how I started looking at ways to become even more careful with our money since we were on one income for many years.
4. What's the "why" behind your money-saving efforts?
I think I covered the answer in question 3!
5. What's your best frugal win?
We managed to buy our first house with a relatively small mortgage. We closed off part of the house, rented it out, and that paid the mortgage. We then lived extra-frugally for a good few years, until it was paid off in total.
We sold the house for a great profit and managed to buy our dream home where we brought our kids up.
6. What's an embarrassing money mistake you've made?
Unfortunately, something that has happened a few times : I sign up for a gym or a sports class with all the motivation in the world to go diligently.... and never manage to carry through with the commitment.
I'm not proud of the money that went down the drain, especially at times when we couldn't afford it.
7. What's one thing you splurge on?
It's important for me to spend quality time with my family, especially now that the kids are older and have their independent lives.
When we do manage to all get together, I like to treat them all to a meal in a restaurant and sit around a table for hours, eating a meal that I didn't need to cook 🙂
8. What's one thing you aren't remotely tempted to splurge on?
Designer clothes and accessories. A total waste for me, IMHO.
9. If $1000 was dropped into your lap today, what would you do with it?
I'd spoil my family on a great weekend away and donate anything left over.
10. What is the easiest and hardest part of being frugal?
In the past, the hardest part was trying to explain frugal living to people who had no idea why I chose to live that way. The older I get, the less I care about what people think about me, so it's become their problem, not mine.
The easiest part is that over the years, being frugal becomes part of you and you don't need to think about the whys and whats.
11. Is there anything unique about frugal living in your area?
When I came to live in Israel, there wasn't any awareness of second-hand shopping, mainly because of the cultural stigma. But I'm pleased to note that this has changed drastically in the last decade or so.
I love seeing thrift shops popping up all over the place and seeing people giving away free items on local Whatsapp groups.
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Talia, thank you! It's fun to hear that people from around the world are converging here at my blog. I loved seeing all the snapshots of life in your part of the world, and boy, I didn't realize there was so much green in Israel!
Do you plan to live in Israel for the rest of your life? Is it hard to live that far from extended family? Did you raise your kids in Israel? What is the climate like where you live?
(And no worries if you don't want to answer any of those questions. 🙂 )
Hello, Talia! As Kristen says, it's always fun to meet a reader from another country--and to learn a lot more about that country, in this case. I was under the impression that Israel was mostly desert (and I'm guessing I'm not alone in this).
@A. Marie, you're right. Israel is intensely green, which is amazing for a country that is 50% desert. Since 1900 roughly 250,000,000 trees have been planted across Israel and it is the only county in the world that ended the 20th century with more trees than it had in 1900. In 1948 roughly 2% of Israel was covered in trees and this has now grown to around 8.5%. A lot of effort has gone into growing trees and plants, but also into smart water technology. (This is the land where drip irrigation came from!). Thanks to many innovations on this front, and despite the fact that we are in constant drought mode (ie. not enough rainfall), Israel produces 20% more water than it actually needs! We recycle 85% of our wastewater for agricultural use and invest in desalination plants (turning sea water into drinking water). Some companies even produce water from air!.
@Talia, I learned so much from your response and loved hearing about the innovations in conserving water.
@Talia, Wow! Very interesting! Drip irrigation is really common where I live (Arizona). It's really perfect for desert environments. I enjoyed reading about you and your lifestyle. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Talia! Israel's skies look a lot like New Mexico skies, both the clear blue and the stormy ones. Also, that photo of your dog lounging on the edge of the table made me smile.
I had no idea Israel was so geographically diverse! I am reminded that Americans often have an inaccurate or even myopic view of what other countries/cities are like based on what we read in the news. And vice versa for other countries’ view of the United States.
I too wondered if you were a native or a transplant to Israel - and how that may have impacted your frugal journey.
Your comments about your parents made me think about my parents who were very frugal (which ultimately benefited their children). Your point that frugality becomes ingrained is so true. In my parents case I wish they personally could have enjoyed the fruits of their frugality more - especially in their final chapters. I find myself wanting to make sure I (and my family) enjoy the benefits my frugality reaped -but old habits, while good, can get in the way of that. I have known relatives whose frugality resulted in them becoming financially comfortable, but they were unable to be generous to anyone, including themselves. The latter especially made me sad and determined to be otherwise.
Hi Talia! Yes, all the pics of your pets made me smile too - especially the toothy one of your cat, which reminds me of the only "fierce" pic we have of our dog (she's asleep on her back and her lips have sort of fallen open into a fake snarl).
How interesting it must be to live in a location with many other countries and cultures so close. Do you have any "hidden gem" travel recommendations?
@Suz, we really do the obvious - travel off-season, keep our ears peeled for special deals, use public transport, stay off the beaten path - usually in airbnb's, ask the locals, shop in supermarkets instead of eating out, look for free entertainment and just walk, walk, walk. We don't care about the weather (unless it's monsoon season!) - you can find something to do in every climate, as long as you're dressed the part 🙂
Welcome Talia!
I've always heard that people will either imitate their parents bad habits or go in the complete opposite direction from those habits. Good for you for choosing consciously to develop good money habits.
The pets are adorable. It looks like this is their dream home too. They look super comfy there.
The wildflowers and scenery are just lovely. Thanks for sharing!
Oh my Israel! Sixteen years of my life there, my wedding, my three boys and, and, and....
Yes Talia, Israel is so geographical ly divers and it sometimes happened that we went to enjoy snow and wintery conditions near the Hermon and two days later we were floating on the Dead Sea....
Congratulations on your housing situation - that is quite an achievement in Israel and sooooo expensive!
@Lea, todah! So glad to meet you. Yes, the housing thing was a combination of lots of luck and extreme frugality for a while. I don't think that if we had to do it today, we could afford it. The housing market is seriously out of control here and I really worry about my kids ever being able to afford to buy an apartment anywhere in the country. Tel Aviv is officially the most expensive city in the world for property. More expensive than Tokyo, New York and others.
@Talia, Wow! I had no idea Tel Aviv was so expensive! I've learned a lot from you today. Thank you for sharing.
Hello Talia, I really enjoyed reading your interview. I was lucky enough right before covid to visit Israel and see your beautiful country.
The fruits were wonderful. We drove past miles and miles of banana fields.
@karen, so glad you got to see Israel. I hope you'll be back. I'd love to show you around 🙂
Love your landscape photos! Can you tell us anything about food shopping and cooking? In what ways does it differ from the U.S.? I admit I know very little about your country. Sadly, the only images I ever see are of war or military operations on the news.
@Bobi, ah yes, the news and the way things are distorted by the media. Amazingly, it's not all about military operations and people actually do shop and eat here 🙂
I'd say that the main difference between food shopping and cooking in the US vs Israel is that alot of the food is fresher and not as 'packaged' here in Israel. There are many souks (markets), and people still like to buy fresh produce from there. Admittedly, supermarket shopping is more convenient (especially in the summer months when they are airconditioned), but you can't beat the quality of a fresh food market. We're a country that LOVES to eat. Every holiday is about cooking, and gathering friends and family around the table, and of course eating. You also have a diverse population of people (immigrants from scores of countries around the world), so you have many different types of cuisines, spices and dishes.
So I'll answer Kristen's questions first: I wasn't born in Israel. I came to live here at the age of 18, where I met my husband and where my children were born. This is home now and I plan to live here forever. Climate.... hmm. It's sunny most of the year. Winters are relatively mild. Summers are horribly hot and humid in the center of the country, but in the higher parts, less so. I don't love the heat so TG for aircon. We recently installed solar panels which help keep the costs of electricity down.
@Talia, thanks for sharing your story. That you made the decision to live your life in Israel at such a young age is impressive. Having raised my own kids overseas and in the States, I've always appreciated that it gave them a more accepting view of humanity, in a way. They learned early that people live their lives in many different ways, and that "our way" is not necessarily better, it's just different.
Thanks for sharing with us, Talia! I enjoyed getting a better picture of Israel. I, too, enjoy seeing new places. As a child, we vacationed to the same 2 places every year. I understood why, but there is a lot to explore! We aren't in a stage of traveling far from home usually (our big exception was going to Hong Kong 5 years ago) but I love to see new places in my state.
I'm glad for you that thrift shopping is starting to thrive!
I love the shot of your black dog; he looks like he is about to give you some advice. I have admired the work of translators, who have to give not only the literal translations of words but the nuances of the sentences. Thank you for sharing your life with us.
Hi Talia (one of my favorite girl names),
What a fun interview! I love all the photos and descriptions of your life. I'm so curious about your translation work! I'd love to know which languages you speak and what kind of texts you translate.
Christie
@christie, hi there. I translate from English to the local language of Hebrew and vice versa. Besides that, I am fluent in two other languages, although I am less proficient in translating them. I translate anything that comes my way - from restaurant menus to medical files to newspaper articles to academic papers.
@Talia, oh thanks for answering my question! What an amazing job. I absolutely love the sound of Hebrew too. Very cool.
This was fascinating! Thanks for responding to questions. I am another person who doesn't know much about Israel and it was good to learn a little more about it today. I was disappointed when I reached the end of the interview. I was hoping for more!
@Kris, ask away. Happy to answer any more questions. I love that Kristen gives people the opportunity to meet so many people from other lands and backgrounds. If only the world were one giant Kristen Meet a Reader. We'd be a better place for sure! 🙂
@Talia, Yes, we would!
Talia, I enjoyed your post and am so glad to "meet" someone from Israel. Thank you for the peek into your life!
Talia, thank you for sharing a bit of your life with us. I visited Israel a handful of years ago and was struck by its geographic similarity to the San Joaquin Valley of California. Right now we are super green, almost unnaturally beautiful, and in the summers, it is very hot, dry and brown. I admire Israel so much for its water efficiency; one river, and yet no one ever fussed about conserving water when we visited. I sure wish California would take a page out of your book in terms of recycling and desalinization. I also felt very at home with the food: fresh fruits and vegetables, hummus, yogurt, awesome bread (no one was whining about high carbs or once mentioned gluten free anything!)
I also fully understand how it is when frugality is simply a way of living; sometimes we don't realize we are being frugal (or, ahem, sometimes, maybe perhaps a little bit cheap) because it is just the way we do things, while others might consider some of our decisions to be deprivation.
As a young (while also ancient) country, it makes sense that thrift shops took awhile to take hold. That was one of the most interesting pieces of your interview.
@Central Calif. Artist, so interesting that it's similar to San Joaquin Valley in terms of landscapes, especially since it's literally worlds apart. We live in a fantastic world! It's made me curious about your part of the world - I'm going to do some 'window-shopping' tonight on Google to learn more. Thanks!
@Central Calif. Artist, thinking similarly about California learning water lessons from Israel. Also solar panel lessons.
Beautiful photos, pets, fields of flowers, what a wonderful place. Thank You!