I always knew that Starmall EDSA-Shaw is a good place to hunt for bargain items. But it's only…read morerecently that I discovered Japan Selection on the second floor. At first glance, the store looked like just any ordinary thrift shop selling Japan-made goods. Look closer, or better yet get inside, and you will see that they are more than just the usual stocks of cookware, kitchen gadgets, chopsticks, Lucky (or Pocky) biscuit sticks, and whatnots from the land of the rising sun. They sell second-hand appliances on an 'as is, where is' basis. This means they will test the appliance you want to buy in the store. But if it doesn't work later when you bring it home, you can't claim a refund. They also have pre-owned baby strollers and other baby furniture. Heck, they even have used surfboards. What really lured me to the place was the stacks of original Japanese manga comics, many of them are Naruto. I was giddy because my cousin who's learning how to read and write Japanese can now spice up his studies by reading one of his favorite manga/anime series in its original language. Without hesitation, I grabbed three books to buy. Right across the manga section was the used toy shelves. Here, I found countless Ultraman figures, diecast cars, robots, and baby toys. Clumsy me grazed one of the items on a shelf and it fell with a beautiful percussive sound. When I picked it up, I realized that it was a bamboo baby rattle. I bought it for twenty bucks to use as decoration at home. The only downside to Japan Selections is their dusty, topsy-turvy store. If you suffer from asthma, better stay out.

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.

I would never have noticed this place in Quiapo since there is so much going on around you--stalls…read moreof fresh vegetables and fruit and steelware and dried fish and watch your bag! and beads and chains and Wellmanson--and then you just step onto the actual sidewalk for a breather and a break from the beating afternoon sun, look away from the other stalls in the place selling more jewelry and sight the "ukay inside" sign inviting you to come into the 88 Shopping Center. Entering the surprisingly cool, unnervingly perfumed inner caverns of the building you'll find stalls of secondhand clothes of every make and kind, from pants and shirts to shorts and blouses, and all at probably the cheapest price you could get them. A lot of it went for fifty bucks, and some for lower even, and the clothes didn't look half-bad. You have to delve into clothes at ukay every time, and there were a lot of keepers there going for a lot less than you would expect to pay for them! Although the pants went for a little more than they should, I think--P200 and above for denim, though maybe it's because they were men's pants? And because I had to ask for the price instead of seeing it on a sign? Sometimes my somewhat alta facade betrays my desire for cheap things, sadly.

I don't know about you, but there's something magical about living near an ukay. A beloved…read morerestaurant or an outlet store might be really nice, but a chance to thrift at any given moment? Seems like a sweet deal to me. It's probably the crazy talking, but it might also be the high of having visited this new ukay along Aurora just near Robinsons Magnolia, called--and this is a beautiful mouthful--"Bargain for Millionaires Fashion Style." The name's funky fly and fresh, although it does makes little sense as a bargain for millionaires would unlikely be a bargain for most everyone else. But it certainly pulls you in, right? The place is new and pretty amazing, stark white and spacious despite being full of clothing. The AC was at full blast when I came into the store, which already kind of won me over. They also had a good arrangement of clothes, and even seemed to be organized by color almost on each rack. Though I did take a look at the prices in general, and they're a bit of an expense compared to most other ukays. P200 for a top is not cheap by ukay standards, as is P300 for denim, though they had slightly better deals upstairs. Yes, this place has two floors of ukay, both of them air-conditioned, though the second floor slightly less so. I wish them all the success and will probably be coming back numerous times in the future. If you're bored by the stores in Magnolia, come here instead!

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!

Downtown Manila is a place where sidewalk vendors have taken root to the point that it's almost…read moreimpossible to get rid of them. Carriedo street is just one where the stalls are not just occupying the sidewalks, but they've actually taken over the street itself. Why the local government unit tolerates this, I'll never know. But what I do know is that the stalls sell all sorts of dry goods at sometimes ridiculously low prices, so what's not to like about them? AT the foot of the LRT Carriedo station is a hodgepodge of small businesses selling street food and all kinds of footwear. The few that occupy the frontage of the now shuttered Isetann department store has a cornucopia of everything that we all need at sometime or another. The slippers are really, really cheap, practically half the price of similar slippers found in the department stores in the area. One little oddity that I was not inclined to buy were cotton buds that used sticks instead of plastic or cardboard stems. I also had some doubts about the moist towelettes which looked partially open. And I've tried the generic batteries sold there, too. Believe me, they're not worth it. But I did buy a flash light with a rechargeable battery for an incredible P300. It came with a bag too. I saw something like it in a Makati shop and the price was P499, so yes, there are some real bargains in the street stalls of Carriedo and Rizal Avenue.

I love thrift shopping because the delight of finding something at a discount is like adrenaline to…read moreme. I always get excited when I look at surplus shops because I am sure that I will come out of bearing high quality stuff that I bought at a fraction of the cost than if I were to buy them from the mall. One of such surplus houses and flea markets is Subic APEX US Imports which can easily be found along Quezon Avenue. I was looking for a low bedside table and I saw that they had furniture on display. I went here looking for a table, but came out with not just a side table, but also a tea set, several cute porcelain plates, a veru useful thermal bag and a hiking pole. You can go wild with all the selections from this place, and if you are a whiz at haggling, here is where you can practice your skills to get the best deals out of the merchandise. The stuff is relatively pricier than most thrift shops, but I would gladly pay a bit more if it meant that the stuff I was getting were in great shape and in good working condition.