I have this problem where I cannot walk into a bookstore and then walk out empty handed. I'm a big…read morebookworm and saying goodbye to an entire store filled with books without a book for myself is just unthinkable. That's like hiring a prostitute, giving her a hug, and then sending her away. Actually, it's worse than that. EXPLOIT THE OPPORTUNITY, methinks. This is especially hard when it comes to secondhand or cheap bookstores like Bookay-Ukay. This place is amazing. It is filled from ceiling to floor with books - and not the usual crap you see in chain bookstores, either. You can tell that these titles were handpicked by whoever manages this place, and you're sure to find something you like in this hole-in-the-wall. My girlfriend had to drag me away from these books. I wanted to buy the entire building.

Finally visited the store, saw one of my fave comic books and bought it. never knew that I could…read moreget one for a such a low-cost. I'll definitely visit the store again for sure.

I am a very regular customer at SM Hypermarket and one of my most frequently visited establishments…read morewould hands down have to be Books for Less. Few things make me happier than sticking my nose in a book so when I found out that the store was no longer as big as it used to be, it made me sad. However, BFS continues to provide a decent selection of fiction and nonfiction books that one can peruse and purchase from. I've found many a gem here, and I'm glad that places like this exist as where would society be without the written word.

I love passing by this Booksale branch every time I'm in the area of Cubao. The fact that it's so…read moreconveniently located nearby Cubao Expo (on the way towards it if you're coming from Farmer's or Gateway) makes it a very tempting stop over before my day drink ventures. Although the book selection is a bit pricier than the branches I frequent, I also noticed that the items here were of newer stock. The children's books are also not as old and worn out as I would have expected but that and the surplus stock they have comes with a price which reaches about Php 70 and above but never more than Php 180. I've bought a few kiddie books here with regret to the price but these purchases have quickly become one of the favorite books of my daughter. I also decided to check out what I like to call "the mahal section" where books range from Php110 to Php200 and found a book that stood out because the sticker on it said it was one of the New York Times Bestseller's List so I bought the book even if it was crazy expensive for my taste (Php 115) especially from an author I've never had before. It was such a good book I couldn't put it down on the MRT ride home and I still do make a special reading time for it para sulit ang basa.

A treasure trove for bookworms, Booksale sits on the first floor of Makati Cinema Square, a mall…read morethat has seen better days but still remains a hub for one-of-a-kind finds. Stocked with mostly second-hand and dog-eared books, Booksale is a bargain heaven for the bibliophile. You really never know what you might stumble upon while combing through the shelves of the store. Art books for the fraction of the price in high-end bookstores sit on the shelves, waiting to be discovered by the keen treasure hunter. There's also a sizeable collection of hardbound books, science fiction titles, graphic novels, comic books, cook books, gardening how-to's, novelty and humor reads and so much more. If you're on the hunt for past issues of both local and international magazines, you are in for a treat. There are hundreds of titles to scour and they never cost more than an arm and a leg.

If you're a book lover, but you are on a budget (And when I say "on a budget", I mean flat broke),…read moreBook Sale is the answer to your needs. I've been in and out of various Book Sales all over Manila, and it's a fantastic place to look for pre-loved books at a fraction of the cost. Personally, I love going here to buy coffee tables books. There are a couple of good finds to be had here. You just have to be diligent when you do dig around. The branch at Makati Square is typical of most of their branches, but it does have a bit more elbow room than the others. They also have an inordinate number of kiddle books, so that's a plus for parents.

A fine meal on a low budget, a nice dress at a bargain price, a good book at 1/5 or 1/10 of its…read moreoriginal cost. These are some of our small consolations in this world riddled with inflation. The third consolation, I experienced once when I bought a thick Prentice Hall hardbound book at Chapters and Pages, an unpretentious book sale located in the corridor of the 2nd level of Blue Wave mall. That book would have easily cost me a thousand pesos or probably much more, but at Chapters and Pages, I got it for around 300 pesos. And the catch: The book was still pretty new being its latest edition. It even beat the copy in our university library which was an earlier edition! I also happen to know someone who gets his inspirational books from the same source. Sometimes he has good finds at 30 pesos or so. That price is even less than a dollar! They may be previously owned books but still in good, readable shape. And, I'm sure, for that price, you wouldn't mind tiny pen marks or the smell of shelf dust. Many of us love to window shop. Chapters and Pages has no windows, only shelves, but it is well-worth checking out and circling the small area and scanning the volumes on sale.

UVLA is one of my favorite stores to visit in Cubao Expo. It is one of the many antique shops in…read morethe compound but it has a bit more of a quirky twist to it compared to the rest of the antique shops in Cubao Ex. It is where i bought my skeleton pipe made out of resin. It's got a lot of old toys and collectibles that would make a great addition to your home or the perfect gift to give a special friend. Some items you will find here are collector's items from Disney like music boxes or cartoon figures from their iconic films. Band merchandise can also be found here like Beatles posters, lunchboxes, mugs, and much more. You can also find merchandise with iconic actresses like Marilyn Monroe. The rest of the store features home furniture that will take you to another era and perhaps leave you nostalgic which will make you buy something. Maybe it becomes harder to let go of the thinga here because they are all waiting for someone to take them home and treat them with the proper care they deserve.

The owners call it a "nostalgia store from Cubao X". True to their words, UVLA Store sells…read morepre-loved vintage items; but not exclusively though. The whole shop is an air-conditioned treasure trove of all things old and lovely, and some local artworks and prints thrown in. That's where I got my sticker set designed by Yas Doctor, one of my favorite artists. I like that they put a jar of candy near the entrance so you have something to munch on while spazzing over all the finds you can... well, find. If you're a lover of toy figures from the previous century, you can go there. If you're an avid matchbox collector, they got you covered. The prices, though, depend. They got postcards that you can get for as low as Php 40, or maybe even lower, and then the newer art stuff they offer are priced around Php 100. The sticker set I got was around Php 150, which was well worth it.

Since I was an undergrad, I couldn't help but stop by Zeitgeist every time I see it. And that's…read morerather frequent, seeing as they are located right in front of the School of Humanities building, my home department. They're really just a spread of books on two tables and two shelves-- nothing more. (And it's funny because some of my friends man the place. Or more like, they befriended the sellers and actually started working there? Or maybe they were just hanging out. I don't really know, but I always see them there.) It's much like Book sale in the sense that most of their books are in pretty good condition-- although the books here are more limited in genre (which makes it easier to look for books!) They've got alot of novels used in the Great Books classes (classical literature), along with some detective novels (A lot of Agatha Christie), poetry collections, philosophy texts, and even some comics/graphic novels. And the best part? SO CHEAP. Like, seriously. If you wanna check out a book under the aforementioned genres, go to zeitgeist first before heading off to Fully Booked in Regis. Going to be worth it, if you find it!

In the era of technology and high-tech implements, I think printed books are still relevant. I work…read morein the e-learning industry, and I honestly think that print is still very much alive, and it could be used to complement the emerging technology that is transforming the way we learn and interact with the information that we encounter everyday. I love books, and by extension, I love bookstores that sell them. While I love browsing at shelves in bookstores in malls and popular shopping establishments, I also love going to offbeat and independent bookstores like Solidaridad to do my part in helping them maintain their business. I was leafing through my cousin's Lonely Planet Philippines copy (she was born and raised in Australia) and found this bookshop on the listings. The fact that it is listed in an international guide makes it legit - a rare gem in the middle of seedy and sketchy Malate. These bookshops are slowly dying out, unfortunately, but Solidaridad still stands tall in the P. Faura area. I love going here because I usually find a lot of Filipiniana, such as short stories by F. Sionil Jose (who also owns this bookshop) and Lualhati Bautista. There are interesting books on Filipino folklore, mythology and customs. You can also find back issues of international magazines and publications such as The New Yorker and The Atlantic. The books are relatively cheap, and I love that they have rare books that you may not exactly find in other bookstores. My heart races when I am in this store and I am right at home in between the stacks of books and literature that are just waiting for me to discover.

Solidaridad is by far the most vintage book shop I've ever been to in Manila. There's that huge…read moreamount of nostalgia that you'll feel once you enter the shop. It makes you feel as if you were living during the time of Rizal and the Insulares. What's also special about this shop is that most of the books here are Filipino published. The books you'll see in here are definitely cultural gems. Not all book shops nowadays put emphasis or cater to Filipino writers. Having Solidaridad gives hope to Filipino writers and publishers because there's still a place that will sell their work. Apart from books made by Filipinos, there are also books from well-known international authors. One of them is Haruki Murakami who is also one of my favourite authors. The prices are a bit higher compared to other book shops. I guess this is reasonable because not a lot of people get to visit the place because it's a hole in the wall type of store. I've been studying for years in UP Manila which is just a few blocks away but I just found out about the place last month.

Thank the book gods and goddesses for Chapters and Pages! I wish I knew of this store when I was…read morestill studying as I could have saved more money for other school expenses and food. For any bookworm who has a tight budget or who wants to buy more books, Chapters and Pages is the place to be! Instead of one book, you could buy a book or 3 for the same price. They have really inexpensive school supplies too! There's a lot of stock of pad papers and notebooks - a whole area dedicated for students. Any kind of book in a bookstore, you'd find here. I particularly love buying cook books here as in other bookstores, I'd have to shell out a thousand or more for just one cook book. Whenever I want to read something new or stock up on books for the summer or want to add to my growing collection, Chapters and Pages is one of the bookstores I never fail to visit.

When you've had your taste of ukay, every so often you'll be itching to venture out and ukay new…read moreold stuff, very much like the itching you get after you've tried on several articles of dusty clothes. It's all worth it though, when you find those few things you've worked hard to find among the sea of secondhand somethings you'd had to wade through. This particular building in Anonas houses a good bunch of ukay-ukay stores and has always been one of my go-to places to thrift, after the spots in Cubao had to close and be replaced by the condominium sites. It's really accessible to the Anonas LRT Station and a lot of the stores have air-conditioning, which is great to have when you plan to be covered in grime at the end of the day. Most of them are fashion stores, carrying clothes, bags, and shoes, but a good few would have beddings, toys, and a couple of appliances or books here and there. One of the stores only specialize in toys and collectibles, while its neighbor only housed shoes and bags. It's my personal strategy to go for the least accessible places as they'd probably have cheaper stuff, but most of the stores in the higher floors had a more limited selection, more expensive clothes, and limited air conditioning. One of the stores had tops and dresses that went for almost four hundred bucks, which is hella expensive, but I guess it was because they were pre-chosen designer and branded articles. I guess they were worth a look regardless--no doubt they'd go on sale at some point in time. Still it'd be better to just sift through the bigger stores with more varied, cheaper stuff. Arm yourself with a bottle of water, some wipes, and alcohol, and make your way to Anonas. You're sure to find something here. If not, ask when their next batch of arrivals come in (some might have a text "mailing list" or they'd just give you a mobile number), or ask if they're online. Some of them have legit, updated Facebook pages!

I think one of the things I love about one of my best friends is that despite us having grown up in…read moreprivileged circumstances, she's always been judicious about her spending habits. Now that I'm pushing 30 and making my own money, I understand its value and how hard it is to make it! It's true -- the stuff really does run through your fingers! Having said that, Celina was the one who introduced me to the world of ukay-ukays. If you're a foreigner or you can't understand Tagalog, an ukay-ukay is essentially a thrift store or a flea market for clothing items. Once in awhile, bags or shoes are on sale as well but it's mostly clothing-centered. Anyhoo, the first time that she introduced me to this specific ukay-ukay was in our college days -- so somewhere in the realm of 2006-2008. It can be overwhelming to dig through the thousands of tops, bottoms and dresses available here but if you're patient and persistent, I guarantee that you'll find something to your liking that costs less than P500. 100 percent guaranteed. There are at least 10 ukay-ukay stores in the area so knock yourself out. I think one of the things I love about one of my best friends is that despite us having grown up in privileged circumstances, she's always been judicious about her spending habits. Now that I'm pushing 30 and making my own money, I understand its value and how hard it is to make it! It's true -- the stuff really does run through your fingers! Having said that, Celina was the one who introduced me to the world of ukay-ukays. If you're a foreigner or you can't understand Tagalog, an ukay-ukay is essentially a thrift store or a flea market for clothing items. Once in awhile, bags or shoes are on sale as well but it's mostly clothing-centered. Anyhoo, the first time that she introduced me to this specific ukay-ukay was in our college days -- so somewhere in the realm of 2006-2008. It can be overwhelming to dig through the thousands of tops, bottoms and dresses available here but if you're patient and persistent, I guarantee that you'll find something to your liking that costs less than P500. 100 percent guaranteed. There are at least 10 ukay-ukay stores in the area so knock yourself out.