Another thrift shop that I frequently go to, not that I'm cheap, but I'd like to see it as bargain,…read moreor a talent of finding branded beautiful used clothes in mint condition aAnother thrift shop that I frequently go to, not that I'm cheap, but I'd to see it as bargain, or a talent of finding branded beautiful used clothes in mint condition and d working it out. I was able to see great finds in this store, you just have to be patient in checking each garment one by one and aisle by aisle. It's like finding needle in a haystack once you find it, it feels great. I was able to get two Jag pants for only Php 100.00 each, a Fendi vest for Php120.00, several knitted cardigans and shirts for only Php25.00 each, Liz Claiborne and three winter clothes jackets for only Php100.00 each. They have new stocks every month but I advise waiting for a few weeks after the delivery because new stocks are priced higher, so be patient and wait until they have the sale sign out, clothes jumps from Php150.00 to Php 25.00. Ukay digging is fun, try it.!

This ukay ukay has very good prices. I like the style of the clothes that they sell here. Whenever…read moreI am here, I end up going home with a few clothes. I have gone here on regular days and sale days. They have 50% off days at the end of the month. You need patience, but it is worth it. Good luck and happy shopping!

Most of the reviews here are on the pet center or the other divisions of the market, i.e. the one…read morewith shoes, the one with clothing overruns, the one with secondhand appliances, the one with bicycles, the one with gardening stuff, etc. Those are all well and good, but what I love about the Cartimar Market is their food. Seriously, where else can you get authentic Thai food for less than a hundred pesos? Sen Lek Thai in the foodcourt is one of the best Thai places I've tried. If you're more into Korean food, Arisoo is a restaurant towards the back that I was also able. My favorite though is the cold taho at one of the Japanese groceries here, I forget the name. It's basically cold taho with toppings of your choice, for around fifty pesos for a big bowl. It's my secret pick me up. Don't tell anyone, okay?

I consider Cartimar Market to be one of the more underrated places in the metro. A lot of people…read moreknow about the pet center here, which is also what drew me to the place in the first place, but once you go past that, you'll see that it has a whole lot more to offer. It's not a market in the usual sense. I haven't seen any wet produce like meat or fish, though I'm sure there's an area in there somewhere. What I have seen are stores selling clothing - mostly overruns or surpluses of major brands, stores selling shoes, stores selling appliances, and stores selling miscellaneous items like mason jars and the like. You also have, of course, the pet center, and the SM supermarket. The best part, I think, are the foreign groceries where you can get Japanese or Korean ingredients dirt-cheap.

This branch of ukay-ukay is quite popular, especially in the Cubao area. From experience, I've…read morespotted really good finds in their Cubao branch, and I'm happy to report that this branch in Parañaque does not disappoint either. Among the ukay joints around the area, Fashion Delite here at Jaka Plaza is the one with thte most variety. There's soooo much that it's actually difficult to browse the racks because there's just so much to choose from. As for prices, don't expect it to be dirt cheap like those Php 5-20 peso types of places where the clothes are already quite questionable in quality. This place often has new arrivals, so you're not stuck with the "pinagpilian" racks for too long. I frequent this place from time to time whenever I am in need of an 'ukay fix' (it's an addiction, really). I've gotten really good stuff here, such as skirts with unique prints on them, shirt dresses, a canvas beach backpack, tops suitable for meetings and printed dresses. But, my favorite purchase from this store has got to be this pair of original, high-cut Doc Marten boots with 2 inch heels for only Php 400. It was beautiful and fit perfectly. It was a great companion while it lasted, as I gave it away when I decided to go vegan, and one of which I wanted to let go of are my stuff that had leather on them.

More popularly known as "BF Ruins", the Good Shepherd Bazaar has become a permanent fixture and…read morelong-time favorite local haunt amongst southside folks. It's a popular "tiangge" where you can get these four things: Pirated DVDs/Music CDs, cheap clothing and shoes, mobile phones/accessories, and cheap food. It's not glamorous nor is it well-ventilated, but on days outside of the holiday season, it's a pretty relaxed place to go for some light impulse shopping after work, or a place to get some cheap, quick snacks in BF Homes. Although on holiday season, beware because this place becomes a cramped, sticky labyrinth, but still is a convenient place to get some last-minute gifts. Back when the internet wasn't such a thing and DSL connection was still unheard of, my favorite stall here would be this seller of rare/hard-to-find/indie pirated DVD's. But now, I just go here for cheap clothes and to grab some veggie snacks at Feng Ling, the cheap Malaysian & Singaporean food place, which serves tofu, veggie balls, fried kangkong, and yummy green mango smoothies. If you're planning to drop by, do visit around 5pm to be sure that all the stalls are already open. They open late, and since there is zero ventilation system inside, it's better to go when the sun is out.

It has been called by many names: BF night market, The Good Shepherd Bazaar, Ruins. But most…read moreresidents from the south know it by the name that it was first called: BF Ruins. This interesting little one-stop-shop for everything has been inside BF Homes as far back as I can remember. Before Aguirre became a famous food strip, right at its corner with President's Avenue was the ruins of an abandoned old building. Some really cool merchants started pitching tents and setting up tables to sell their wares there. You'd find a lot of really cool vintage items and some stylish clothes that you won't get in malls. Over the years, it has developed more into a find-everything-here place selling DVDs, CDs, electronic gadgets, accessories, clothes for kids, swimwear, tshirts, gift items and toys. It is now a structure with a huge roof and several stalls. It was called The Good Shepherd Bazaar for a few years now and usually runs between 2pm to 2am. However, their selling time seems to have changed very recently and most stalls are already open by noon and close around 11pm. While shopping in the sweltering heat may not be a good idea in the summer, I often brave the traffic and the heat to go here because they still have the best selection of children's items. If you're looking for class A toys, they've got a bunch you can get from P100 to P200. For instance, if you buy Shopkins (those little plastic toys with faces) in the mall, a 5-piece set would cost you about P350. Here, you get the items with the same quality - since it's all made in China anyway - for P120. You can get a two-piece swim suit for a baby for only P80 and Gerber Graduates, which is not available in malls here, for P220. Pajamas for kids run for about P100. Oh, and they have a nice little food area where you can get some really cool snacks. They have kwek-kwek and tokneneng selling for P20 for an order of 5 pieces. Chicken skin is the bomb! They sell 5 pieces for P25.

I've been seing this ukay-ukay shop for several months before I really paid a visit. It was just…read morefiled at the back of my mind as a place I could buy from should I need certain kinds of clothes for low prices. And, it's almost across the tricycle terminal where I ride to get home. One time, I was looking for pants and shorts. I needed some, especially for travel. The shop had conveniently arranged certain types of clothes by rack. Bottoms like shorts and pants, for example, were in one rack, and so I looked there. I got two nice pairs of shorts in colors I could easily pair with other clothes - one of them I now use on many of my beach trips. I got one for P100, the other for P120. The prices here are a little expensive for an ukay-ukay, I think, but you can haggle, especially when you buy more than one piece, which is what I did. They also have nice shoes like sandals, boots, and sneakers here. So far I haven't found any of my size which I like but I've seen a few customers happily walk away with shoes that they really like.

If there was a store that would be the epitome of me, it would be A'postrophe. My style and…read moreinterests are very eclectic - bohemian, old world, vintage, Gothic, antique-y, Renaissance-esque...the same style of the accessories and clothes A'postrophe sells. I'm a huge fan of their hip and cool items like hats with cat ears (I bought 2 of different colors and because I love cats), rings with skulls and tea cups on top, flats with an embroidered skull design, mugs with Renaissance paintings printed on them as well as wallets, containers that look like vintage books and a lot of bohemian themed stuff! I pretty much mentioned most of the stuff I've bought from them, hehe. One time, I was looking for birthday presents for my sister and I loved the stuff I got her from the store so much that I got myself the same things! Crazy, I know but I can't help myself when I'm in this store. Pull me away if you see me passing by! Haha! Sadly, some of their stuff is a bit pricey but they do have sales on sale season so you can watch out for that. :)

There really is no shortage of good stores for babies and kids in Greenbelt, Makati. One of my…read morefavorites to visit among the row of baby stores here is Youji & Me. It is the perfect place to find some of the basic big-ticket items when you are having your first baby. They carry the best brands for strollers, cribs and playpens. My sister got my 5-in-1 playpen from this store as a baby shower gift for my little girl. We decided on a playpen when she asked what I wanted because I was planning on co-sleeping. It really was a great decision. She started to use the playpen when she was only a few weeks old and up until she was almost two (and could start to climb out of it). It worked as a sleeping cot, a diaper changer, a real playpen with lights and sounds. It was one of our most over-used items for my baby. Now that she is a bit older and has amassed a huge collection of toys, we use it to hold the hundreds of dolls that she received as presents over the last three years. Youji & Me also has my dream crib which I really had my heart set on before deciding to co-sleep. They carry Cuddlebug cribs which can go from newborn crib to toddler bed. They also have some pretty interesting brands like Nuby for pacifiers, teethers and bottles and Boikido toys. I love how clean the set up of the store is; it is not over stuffed with shelves upon shelves of items which makes choosing all the more difficult. They have the toys, feeding items and other essentials on one wall; the strollers, sample playpens and the Cuddlebug crib on the other end; and a few Boikido toys in the middle. There's a lot of space to test the strollers and for little tykes to run around and look at their toys

A few years ago, I asked an expecting mommy friend what to get her for her baby shower gift and her…read morereply was: "Anything, as long as you get it from Youji & Me." Now this was before I had my own kid and so I had no idea what this store was; I actually assumed that it was some sort of quirky boutique. So I went into the store and saw that it was a baby needs' shop, and a well-curated one at that. Unlike the rather overwhelming hodgepodge of baby stuff that you will find at the department store baby section, Youji & Me only carries a limited inventory, but almost everything is lust-worthy. They had all the nice baby brands like Nuby, Aprica, and what have you. The store is spacious enough so that you can browse without bumping into other customers. There's room enough to roll the strollers around. I was particularly impressed by their selection of convertible baby cribs--you actually can turn them into kiddie beds! Of course, premium baby stuff comes at a price, so prepared to give your credit card a beating. If you can, wait for their annual warehouse sale where they slash as much as 50% off products from participating brands. They usually hold the warehouse sale in San Juan City - I've never gone but other moms have told me that it really pays to go early as the best picks of the lot are pretty much gone a few hours after the sale opens.