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.!

I'm addicted to thrift stores and 'ukay-ukays'. Not only because I don't have a lot of money and I…read more-can- be cheap, but personally, it's a thrilling, satisfying experience and past-time that naturally curious folks would enjoy. Seriously, you'll never know what thing of beauty awaits you (and for less, too)! A couple of my prized possessions (mostly clothes, artwork/trinkets) I've purchased from such stores. I live 2 minutes away from Go Green Japan Surplus, so I frequent this place quite often to look around, see what's available. I really find the whole experience entertaining, to say the least. I mean, all these odds and ends from another culture, owned by a stranger you will most likely never, ever meet--who may also be still alive, or dead! Okay, that's not very enticing. But really, with a combination of luck, perseverance, and a good eye, you can really come home with a lot of good finds. This place mostly sells second hand furniture and home accessories. Their furniture can be a bit pricey, so do choose wisely. It might be helpful to check brand new items in other places first for a price basis. If you're a mug/teacup/plate hoarder, they have a huge selection of ceramics with novelty designs (i.e. ceramic sake glasses with erotic Japanese artwork called Shunga). For outdoorsy types, beautiful, secondhand Japanese bikes and surfboards are available here, too!

There's a relatively large warehouse-type store in the middle of Dona Soledad Avenue in Bicutan,…read moreParanaque City that simply calls itself Japan Store. It is, of course, a second-hand shop that sells a wide variety of houseware, furniture, home décor, bicycles and just about anything that can be sold used. Every so often, the Japan Store will sell shoes that look to be in good condition. I chanced upon a pair of tripods that I had been looking for and one was being sold for P1,200 and the other for P2,000. The most interesting item available was an old-style slot machine. Two of them actually. It didn't have the lever of the typical one-armed bandit, making the P5,000 gizmos next generation slot machines. The place also has surf boards and more cups and mugs than I could count. One seemingly fast moving item would be wheelchairs, as every so often a few would be on display, only to be gone a week later. Cabinets, clocks, kitchen utensils are also plentiful. For those who like to restore old furniture, Japan Store has a wide array to choose from. This place has been around for years so it's safe to presume that business must be booming. I like to visit it just to see what new old stuff they have for bargain hunters like me. I'm still waiting for them to have a classic juke box for sale, and I will probably bargain like crazy to have it.

Call me old-fashioned even with the increasing popularity of e-books and Kindle or Kobo, I still…read moreprefer reading paperbacks. There is something about the experience of holding a physical book and smelling the pulp that e-books cannot replicate or replace. This place is my haven when I need something to read and my budget is not enough for brand new books. I mean, you can purchase new books for around PhP300. Bring your PhP300 to Booksale and you can end up going home with at least two of their pre-owned books. You just need to be patient in searching the stacks of books in their stores. It adds a bit of adventure in your experience. The more popular authors like Stephen King or John Grisham gets to have their books displayed in just one area so you won't have any problem searching for them. But unfortunately, there are customers who can't be bothered to return books to their proper places after looking at them. You have to be ready to bend over or sit on the floor for long periods of time but you sometimes get lucky and score a rare find that got stuck under a pile. If you are looking for a title that is not in their current inventory, you can tell the staff and if you leave them your contact information then they will inform you if they already have a copy in their branch.

Booksale always rewards its patient, determined customers with a good steal. As a cheapskate and a…read morebookworm, Booksale is just a happy place to be. I can get lost here for an hour or two, carefully browsing each shelf for good finds. SM MOA's branch is the last Booksale I visited from which I was able to get awesome selections at cheap prices. A lot of people think that this place is only for those people who read pocket books/romance novels and those sci-fi paperbacks, but actually, you can get a LOT of great resources here. I'm a graphic designer, and I did purchase some of my design and art books here at Booksale (Well, let's be honest, this is the ONLY place I can afford to get art books, anyway. They can get sooo pricey at leading bookstores). Depending on the branch (and your luck), you can get great, hard-to-find art and design books that are great as reference materials and look BEAUTIFUL as a coffee table book (that will make your house guests think you're so cultured.. Haha). I even found a gigantic, super-oversized poster book of James Jean's illustrations for only Php 400! If you're quite the cook, this place also has a wide selection of cookbooks in all types of cuisines, dietary restrictions/preferences, etc. Sometimes, if you're really lucky, you can also get hardbound editions of good autobiographies here! I recently picked up John Peel's Margrove of the Marshes an Russell Brand's My Booky Wook here, for only Php 120 each. So, if you want to go restore hope in mankind, do pick up a book. But, don't pick up one just anywhere, get it at Booksale so you can buy some coffee with the money you saved and park your butt in a coffee shop where you can remind people glued to their laptops and tablets that BOOKS. STILL. EXIST! TIP: They'll give you a 5% discount for a minimum purchase of Php 1000 for a single receipt.

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.

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.

I'm just so happy that there are other options to buy some cables and cords other than lining up at…read morethe horrendous queues at CD-R King. Cable Monster is a chain of mall kiosks that have all sorts of cables for your phone and other devices. It's really a pretty convenient store as they do have all sorts of cables/cords that are compatible with most devices. And, if you're particular with colors, their cables come in various colors so if you're lucky you can get one that matches your phone's color, if color-coordinating things are important to you. Their prices are a bit steeper than CD-R King, but I would really opt to purchase cables here as the quality of their cables are much better and are sturdier than of course their cheaper alternatives.