We caught up with Abbey Wolin, business strategist and program coordinator for the Jewish Woman Entrepreneur (JWE.) She gave us her straight-talking, no-nonsense, top 7 tips for making Passover on a budget:

1. Keep the Passover kitchen light

People feel like they need to buy new dishes, new pots, new pans, new forks, new knives for Passover, and that all adds up.  Use plastic and disposable (yes, even for the Yom Tov meals!). See what pots or appliances you could turn over after Passover and use for chometz. Do you really need a new cooking gadget, or will the good old stove and oven suffice? If it's your first year making Passover, rather than buying the equivalent of an entire wedding registry all at once, build your collection year over year. Stop and think before you swipe.

2. You don’t need as much as you think you need

People really overdo themselves; they think they need a lot when they really don't. It’s only eight days. Do we really need seven entrees at a meal? It’s so wasteful! A main, a salad, and two sides is plenty. Shulchan orech can also be very simple. Once the kids eat the egg and some soup, they’re done.

3. Take advantage of budgeting resources

No need to reinvent the wheel when other people paved the way for you. Check out Mara Strom’s kosheronabudget.com. She posts updates about great deals on all different Passover products. Or, if you need pots and pans, you can look at all the different websites to see what’s going to give you the cheapest deal. Take advantage of your social media groups to compare prices and sales where you live.

4. Plan a menu

Being as prepared as you possibly can going into Passover is going to save you money and sanity. How many cake meals do you actually need? How much almond flour? These things are really, really expensive. And WHY do people stock up on potato starch? Produce gets expensive, too. So really sit down and budget. How many potatoes? How many bananas?

5. Make food to fill your kids inexpensively during the day

During Passover, we have no pretzels or PB&J sandwiches to fill up the kids. Passover snacks are crazy expensive, but if you feed the kids proteins or salads or soups, they don't need the chips or ladyfingers. Having a picnic lunch outside is awesome. Make a potato salad, a regular salad with chicken or cheese, or tuna. It's a budget-friendly chol hamoed outing, and they’ll also eat a solid lunch and feel full. It’ll refresh everyone.

6. Challenge yourself

Figure out what your budget is for dinner and then challenge yourself to stick to it. Abbey likes to challenge herself to make supper for a family of 7 (including a teenage boy!) for under $30. So, she can make two pans of shepherd’s pie (meat and potatoes) and stay within budget. But a family pack of chicken cutlets is $25 all by itself. Once you add in breading and sides, a schnitzel dinner is out of budget.

7. Buy smart

Think about it. Should you buy those pre-made cake mixes or can you make it yourself for much cheaper? Are you comfortable going to the farmer’s market? The produce is much less expensive there. And remember, Passover is only a week. You can probably do without the overpriced item you’re putting in your cart.

And one more thought from Abbey – Passover is a time that's intergenerational. It’s a really important chance to spend time with your family. Keep that goal in mind, and embrace the opportunity to play together, participate in your favorite family traditions or build new ones. No matter your budget, you'll all walk away with memories and values that will last a lifetime.