Lyn Ching-Pascual: Christmas tipid shopping tips

Money seems like water during Christmas season. It pours out of our wallet faster than you can say “Merry Christmas”. The gifts we buy are never enough. It’s as if people on our Christmas list multiply as the Big day nears. Luckily, I have ceased panicking. After many many years of buying for me and my husband’s many inaanaks, kamag-anaks and kaibigan, I have finally seen the light.  Here are my tried and tested strategies in avoiding the holiday rush and saving a few bucks. 1.  I have three numbers for you: one, six, eight. Yes I refer to that wonderful Divisoria mall that never seems to run out of new stuff! They have almost everything. My most recent sojourn there resulted in cute notebooks (from P50 to 80), DIY greeting cards (P180 per dozen), hair accessories for my daughter, wall décor (P50 only and so cute), wooden hangers by the dozen (P230/dozen), foldable bags (P50 each), ceramic glasses (P80 each), bag tags, pens and so much more. All of which are almost triple in price when sold at malls.  Add to that delicious food at their food court in between shopping. An extra bonus is that the whole building is airconditioned! So you shop in comfort and style.  Bargaining is a must at 168 Mall. You get the best prices when you buy in bulk which means 6 pieces of anything. But that’s practical as it is always better to have extra stuff than to lack gift items.

It is best to go in the early morning especially November onwards when the mall becomes a veritable palengke from a huge crowd that converges in that one spot. Also keep your wallet close and companions closer. Do not bring children as the probability of them getting lost or getting on your nerves is quite high. Take your time to browse and compare prices. Don’t forget to bring cloth bags for your loot, better yet, ones with wheels. If you don’t have any, you can always buy there for your convenience. 2.  Buy whole year round. Everytime I find nice items on sale, whether in January or July, I buy it. Not necessarily for Christmas, but also for birthdays especially since I have two school age children who seem to have classmates celebrating birthdays every week.  This way I don’t have to scramble to a shop just to buy a single gift. That would be a waste of time and gas. Of course the sale has to be 20 percent off and up. If not, I walk away as my belief is, there is always a better deal elsewhere. In between occasions I keep these items in gigantic plastic boxes which I label according to what’s inside for easier identification. 3.  Re-use. Everytime I receive a gift, I keep the gift bags and ribbons for re-using. Also I make use of old magazines, particularly home improvement and society magazines which have better paper quality, in place of gift wrappers. If you prefer to use new gift wrappers, I suggest you buy them in bulk in Divisoria (again). Wrappers in Divisoria costs as low as P3 each compared to P11 and up in bookstores with the same quality and design. Gift cards go as low as P15 for 100 pieces in Divisoria. 4.  Recycle. I know it can be tacky for some people, but really, you won’t always use the gift given to you.  So instead of letting them rot in your attic, might as well pass it on to someone who would appreciate it. That’s why it is advisable to make a “Recyclable Gift List” so that you can be sure you won’t be giving it back to the person who gifted it in the first place.  Also, make sure that the gift itself does not have your name printed on it. Always double check before wrapping. And finally, be careful in opening gifts as you wouldn’t want to damage the packaging just in case it is to be re-gifted. Presentation still matters after all. Hopefully these tips will be useful to you, if not this Christmas, then the next ones. After all, Christmas is always just around the corner isn’t it?  In any case, have fun shopping for those you love as it is always a pleasure knowing you have been remembered. _______________________ Lyn's personal blog, click here.