getting ready for a trip to Philippines

Now that our plan to go home to Philippines have been set, I am starting to shop for pasalubong (gifts) for my family and friends.  I am eyeing for the malls’ season sale so I can get discounted stuff.  It actually already found some good buys - 50% off on the regular price.  Really good I should say! 

I have two more months to hunt for pasalubong items.  That would be enough time to do all the shopping.  I chose stuff that are light and easy to pack as we only have a limited baggage allowance.  I don’t want us to exceed our baggage limit and also haul heavy bags when we arrive PH coz we still have to travel from one city to another before settling down in our hometown.  

Weeee! I can’t believe we’re really going home.  What I have thought of as only a plan, a dream because of financial constraints is starting to get real.   Thank you Lord for providing for our needs!

when caught in an old-fashioned way of calculating goods bought

It’s annoying to shop in stores where their cash registries don’t have barcode scanners.  It takes time for the cashier to input the prices of all the goods bought by a customer. When you’re in a hurry, it really gets frustrating. In our hometown, there’s this supermarket which is the usual place for shoppers especially sari-sari store owners to shop for their products.  Though the prices are cheap compared to those in big malls, it is also time-consuming waiting in line for your turn because of the slow system in paying.  One time we bought an ice cream, by the time it was our turn to pay, the ice cream was already melted.  We had to replace it with another one from the freezer.  When shopping during peak times such as Christmas or paydays, one really needs to be extra patient with the long queue.  Or else, better shop in big malls where they have barcode scanners so the service is fast.

the things he buys

 Sometimes my hubby just surprises me with his online purchases.  He’s a techie freak who’s always scouring the internet for the latest gadget or the latest computer peripherals.  Sometimes I see him looking at e-bay or his favorite online computer store hunting for good finds. When the year started, he bought several products such as new LCD monitor, a stereo component to name some.  I wonder if he’d be interested with KVM switch that’s being sold at an incredibly discounted low price!  Fortunately right now work is keeping him occupied and away from online stores. 

christmas shopping

How long did it take you to complete your Christmas shopping list?  I started shopping last month when I arrived in the Philippines but even if it was a month away from the big occasion, the time was barely enough to look around and buy the perfect gift for my loved ones.  Shopping for more than 10 people with different interests, sizes, gender and age was tough!  I’m sure you’re nodding your head as you’re reading this.  But applause for me, I was able to complete the task few days before Christmas.  Whew! Maybe I should start shopping as early as now for next years’ holiday? What do you think? Hehehe

Anyway, I’m glad it’s all over now and seeing the happy and contented faces of kids and adults alike upon receiving their gifts was worth all the effort and expenses involved! But the gift-giving doesn’t end on Christmas day.  There are still distant relatives and friends who are asking for their gifts - the kind who only shows up during Christmas.  But since Christmas happens only once a year and it’s all about sharing your blessings, it’s hard to refuse them especially those who are less fortunate than I am.  I get to be a recipient of many blessings anyway. 

shopping for baby C

One of our current spare time activities is taking baby C out for walks and shopping.  Since the temperature has been getting colder, we’ve been shopping for her fall/winter gear.

We were at C&A last Saturday and I was dismayed to see that their baby tights are over 100 czk less than those we bought at H&M.  With the discovery that C&A baby clothes cost cheaper compared to H&M, I leafed through their clothes to see if there’s anything I’d fancy buying for baby C.   Nothing!  We came out empty handed.  It seems I am still loyal to H&M coz we ended up buying a sweater for the kiddo there.

toys for the big boys

Hubby is a frustrated pilot.  If only his eyesight isn’t bad, I bet he would have been a pilot now.  Hmmm.. now that makes me wonder if our paths would crossed if that had happened. 

Anyway, the closest thing he can get to flying planes is through his computer games. Awww, he just loves it!  Maybe he would also like playing with remote control helicopters coz i saw some really cool toys that are on sale. From $119.95, you can get it at $29.95 only! Big savings!

one stop online shop for medical supplies

Looking for medical supplies has never been this easy.  There’s a one stop shop online named Allegro Medical that sells 55,000 products with 50 categories and there’s even hundreds of sub-categories. Customers can choose to shop by category, by brand or by condition.  Their products range from exercise and fitness equipment, maternity and baby stuff, nutritional and health supplements and also outdoor gears. 

You can still hurry and avail of their Labor Day Sale which gives shoppers 10% discount on their orders.  Whether it’s defibrillator or books you’ll need, head on to Allegro Medical – where shopping is made easy and affordable for everyone!

shopping guide for parents

I guess every parent loves to shop for their babies/kids.  Whether it is toys or clothes, we immediately remember our kids when we’re out in the mall.  Yes, even to the point of forgetting our own needs!

There are many baby shops around yet it takes time to actually check these shops one by one.  But with the wonderful guide lilaguide.com has come up with, it’s a great site for parents to browse whenever they want to buy something for their kids.  Here can parents can read product reviews and listings, get to read useful parenting and child care articles, and there’s even parenting groups if you want to connect with other parents. 

So if you’re around San Francisco, lilaguide is inviting you to join them!

on shopping companion

When we’re out shopping, hubby would head down to the electronics section/shops while I’d go to boutiques or clothes section.  I enjoy shopping with my hubby but there are times when I need a girl’s opinion on my choices and having a women companion comes handy when shopping for girl stuff.

Lately I’ve been doing lots of shopping.  I’m glad my sister is with me.  Even if I spend hours rummaging through the displays, I know she wouldn’t mind coz we share the same interest.  Right girls?  But last week, we didn’t have any choice but to tag hubby along.  We were at the ladies’ section  looking at the dresses,  swimwear , etc. and there was my man, carrying our little one while  we shopped.  Good thing he didn’t mind  taking care of the baby while we do our thing.

shop till you bop!

Yey! Another fashion site where trendy women can shop for clothes!  Shopbop.com is currently the featured site at the Stylehive.  Get to know what the most popular choices of the hive members are and get fashion and shopping ideas from them.

If you want to get special offers from Shopbop, join the Shopbop community in the hive.  They’re all yours to take!  That’s just some of the advantages of being a member in the hive shopping list.  So why don’t you join the fun? Get into the hive and shop at Shopbop!

a wiki for shoppers

If there’s a wiki for information, there’s also a wiki for shopping!  Shopwiki is a search engine that let’s users search for certain product.  They will look all over the internet and show you results where you can find these products with their corresponding prices.  We’re talking of more than 200,000 stores and 250 milion products here.

It certainly is a perfect shopping tool especially if you want to look for deals or compare and find the lowest price there is .  You can also get  useful ideas from reviews of the products and the shops too.  So, go over at Shopwiki now and start your search, or browse over at the different categories such as arts and crafts, clothing, pets, office and lots more or you can search by brand, it’s your choice!

guys like to shop too!

My dad is fond of tinkering with things.  He likes woodworking and even made few furniture in our house by himself.  Every we go to the malls, he wouldn’t miss checking out his favorite hang out, the hardware shop!  He can stay there for hours looking at the latest equipments and tools.  I don’t know if he is familiar with Delta machinery though.  But they have a wide range of carpentry tools that I’m sure my dad would be interested in. Guys actually likes shopping, but they shop for different things than us girls would shop.

shopping for cubs gear

Get your own Cubs gear at Cubworld.com!  With lots of apparel for everyone; men, women, children, teens or toddlers alike; from shirts, jerseys to sweatshirts to jackets, caps, accessories and souvenirs, you’ll find it all there.  CubWorld offers the widest choice of Chicago Cubs gear and merchandise.  CubWorld is actually the online store of Sports World which is located right across Wrigley Field, popularly known as the home of the Chicago Cubs. 

Buy your stuff online and get it fast coz they offer same day shipping; you order it now, they send it now too!  So have a fun time shopping at CubWorld!

gift ideas for Valentine’s

Some women might be counting the days till Valentine ’s Day, wondering what their Romeo has in store for them on that heart’s day.  On the other hand, guys might be nervous just thinking about that day. 

Of course, as always women always expect to be pampered on V-day.  They expect romantic dinner, receiving bouquet of flowers, sweet chocolates and other special gifts such as jewelries.  Other guys also find this time as the right date to profess their love or ask their girlfriend’s hand for marriage. 

Guys might find this exquisite Tahitian black pearl necklace  a perfect gift that will impress and delight your girl.  These pearls originate from Tahitian islands in the South Pacific and are sold by The Pearl Source which is one of the largest and direct importers of Tahitian black pearls.  You can be assured of its quality and the price is right too.  Buying from The Pearl Source gives customers 60-80% off retail prices and 25-50% off their other online competition.  That means big savings on your purchase!

So don’t waste any time now.  Hurry and see what other beautiful jewelries they have at The Pearl Source that you might like to give your special someone this Valentine’s Day.

the search continues

Yesterday after work, hubby and I with our baby made another mad rush to the mall to look for that elusive white dress! Duhhhhhhhhhh!!! A wee bit of white dress we can’t find!!!!  Zara, Next, C & A, H&M, Nada!!!! No white dress, no white shoes! What will we do? We just might cover her with white blanket if we can’t find anything by Friday, huhuhu… hmmm I didn’t know it will be this hard to look for such dress.  I think buying tool storage is easier and faster than this!

house improvement for less money

During the Christmas season, one of the house improvements they’ve made back home was changing the curtains in our glass door leading to the terrace.  They only bought the curtains ready made in one of the stores in our locality which doesn’t really give buyers plenty of choices.

But online, ContempoCurtains.com has a wide and unique selection of any curtains which you can even match with throw pillows!  Aside from their quality and beautiful designs, they can be custom curtains and comes only for very reasonable price.  Changing curtains is one way to jazz up any part of your house without spending too much money. See for yourself what they have to offer!

shopping update

We’ve been scouring the whole mall today looking for a white dress for our 4 MONTH old baby girl BUT found NONE!  With different season here in Europe comes different kinds of clothing for each season. Most of the shops are on sale coz they want to get rid of their old stocks to prepare for new arrivals.  Hence, the stores are almost empty.  One store is expecting their new stocks to arrive within this week though, we’ll check them out again next week!

Anyway, instead of buying dress for my little one, it was me who got tempted and bought few items for myself.  Who can resist the SALE marked on those lovely tops and whatevahhh?  Unfortunately, I didn’t try them at the store coz we’re in a hurry and found out later here at home that two of the tops I chose didn’t fit me well.  We have to go back there to exchange it for a bigger size or something else. We also need to grab some pet supplies for our poor fishes!

shopping bug bit me

Hala! What has happened to me?  Why am I still concerned with winter clothing when I'll possibly be flying off to a hot country in a month?  Inside my closet there are even several clothes that I haven't worn (still with price tags!) and here I am looking online for ideas on winter clothes and thinking of buying again waaaaaaaaaaaaa…. see no evil!  I shouldn't have been browsing fashion sites yeah but instead read some articles on discount furniture which is due today.  Last Sunday I bought a long coat, still didn't wear it. Maybe later if the shopping bug's sting is still working on me and I'll ask hubby to go out with me to the mall. Hala!!! We need to buy baby C's baptism dress anyway.

can’t get enough of shopping?

The past Christmas season was fun for shopaholics.  It gave them a very good excuse in spending and shopping for themselves, their families and friends.  But the gift-giving season is over, so what’s next?

Still can’t get enough of shopping?  Well then here’s something to satiate your appetite to shop for more! Stylehive.com is featuring handbags that were among the most popular in their Stylehive community over the last month.  It shows shoppers the handbags that were the “it”, or using their terms, “hived and tagged” by their shopping bees. 

Have a look of what they have picked.  It might give you inspiration for your next shopping trip for handbags.  Get to see their other hot items for sale also. There are lots for your eyes to feast on!

interactive fashion and shopping site for women

How interactive can a website be?  For women who are fond of fashion and shopping, a website which features the lives, loves and shopping tips of four professional women might sound interesting for you.  Here you get to hear their conversations and get inside their insights about certain things most especially about fashion and shopping. Grapevine.com is the website I’m referring to. 

If reading fashion tips isn’t your thing, you can directly go over their boutique which sells girly accessories, handbags, belts, jewelry, gift items and other stuff that any women would need.  You also get the chance to peek into the closet of the Grapevine girls and see for yourself what kind of clothes and accessories they wear.

Isn’t that exciting?  With just few click in your mouse and you’re already transported to the chic and fashionable world of the Grapevine girls. Do check out their website regularly for new items and features!