Top 5 consignment stores worth checking out (LOCAL)

If you want to maximize your free time and finish your shopping errands as quick as possible, consignment stores might just be what you are looking for. Here are five of the most popular consignment stores in the online market today. The summer season is almost over and what better way to upgrade your wardrobe than see a handful of options all availble in one site. It's time to get rid of your barbeque grills and inflatable pools. Ber months are upon us and the earlier we start our Christmas shopping, the more money we can save. We all know merchandises get more expensive as December approaches.  

5. SULIT.COM.PH  You have definitely heard of it. If not, you've seen it. It may not fall under the very definition of consignment but when it comes to range of products, this online store is a sure online stopover. If you're on a tight budget and you're looking for a way to stir up your lifestyle, SULIT can give you services and goods for very low prices. Catch is not all items sold here are brand new. But if you're not too uptight when it comes to buying hand-me-downs and you're a huge fan of garage sales and ukay-ukay, then maybe this can hit your soft spot. A long list of products for very affordable prices. Payments depend on how each seller chooses to make transactions with you. You can contact the seller either through sending a message to their official SULIT account or you can text them. Normally contact numbers are provided in the description section. You can even put your own items up on sale and be a seller yourself. 

4. OFFICE FAB  If you're working in a corporate world, you would know just how important office equipments and materials are. OFFICE FAB is your one stop shopping destination for all things related to an office setup. Printers, bulks of papers, calculators and other tools used in corporate business ventures are sold here in different brands and value. Consignment stores are known for ridiculous discounts and OFFICE FAB isn't one to stay mum about it. All items are guaranteed to be brand new and all items are received through a form of delivery. 

3. ZALORA  Are you as much as a fashion maniac as I am? We finally have our own Sears in the Philippines... online! A mix of different brands both local and international are sold in this online dream closet. Make shopping a peach by being able to mix and match items with easy zoom features. Now who said you can't have a closet just like Cher on clueless? 

2. METRODEAL  A tidier take on Sulit is METRODEAL. It sells a variety of items as well and have almost each one discounted. Vouchers are also available in this website making it impossible for you to want to look away.  

1. LAZADA  And my number 1 pic is Lazada. It is my favorite as of the moment because of the great online interface and features of the website. Its services make it top of my list because of the quality standards it maintains. A range of products from different brands and types. It's heaven online indeed!  Positive Corporate 

Shop from Lazada Philippines in 3 easy steps!

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to be able to wrap your head around the proper way of doing online shopping. Shopping online is identical to typical shopping on a Sunday morning with the family. You search, choose and buy. But online shopping eliminates the need for you to fall in line. No more waiting for your turn because online selling sites are able to accommodate multiple numbers of people anywhere in the world at any given time. That, my friend, is the true beauty of technology. But despite the blinding perks of online shopping, let's try to expand on the step given a while ago.

1. SEARCH
Don't be threatened by what you see online. Landing on a website such as Lazada for example can make it very difficult for a shopping addict to move forward. It can take forever before being able to decide what to buy. Not because the selections are too out of line with what you want but for the very opposite reason. There are so many options that deciding abruptly about what to purchase can produce massive credit damage. Take your time when looking for that perfect air conditioning unit to match the rest of your furniture at home. No one is waiting behind you anymore so you can stop being conscious about swiping clean your basket already. You have all the time in the world to check out each option. You can always click the search engine and put the brand, type of item, color, etc. of your choice to make things easier for you.

2. CHOOSE Of course after every window shopping, you would have your mind set about what to buy the next time pay day arrives. You can learn more about the item if your choice by clicking on the imagery of interest. Details like general and in depth product description of the item, price, discount, status of stock, specifications and product reviews are provided and will become visible. Most items come in different sizes and colors so be sure to consider every option possible before making a final decision. I hate purchasing something and after seeing a version that interests me more.

3. BUY Check the methods of payment provided and assess which one is the most convenient for you. Cash and credit card payments are accepted. Each method has its own set of requirements during the filling out of order form. All items are subject to delivery nationwide. Shipping rates however vary depending on the location to where the item is to be delivered. Shipments made outside metro manila cost P99. 00 that take about 5 to 10 business days. Deliveries inside metro manila are worth P55. 00 only and are given an estimate of up to 5 business days before arrival of item. These are generally fixed rates but are subject to addional fees depending on the size of the items being delivered. All deliveries are provided by either 2G0 or LBC.

Get Smart with your kids

Mobile Phones have become wants more than needs. They have become so essential that even a 7-year old kid can be seen wearing one along his or her neck. I am a mother of two. My eldest is 12 years old while my youngest is turning 6 this month. I know how hard it is to decide between keeping a child grounded and away from technology as long as possible and becoming practical for their very own safety requiring them to get a cellular phone. I am a single mom with four franchises I manage that helps fund the lifestyle that me and my kids have. My husband and I separated when my daughter was 3 years old. He migrated to the states and left a few of our family franchises under my name to support our family. I have control over my hours so I never need a yaya in the house in-charge of taking care of my children. But every now and then things would come up and I’d have to make location visits. It’s those times that I feel the importance of my children having phones with them at all times. Since I do service duty, I bring my children to school and pick them up after class. At times that I can’t, I ask my sister-in-law to do it for me who comes all the way from Commonwealth. I try my best to never make my kids worry so every time I can’t pick them up, I call them to remind them where to wait and what time their aunt will arrive. My kids go to separate exclusive schools so it’s hard to stay calm knowing they’re not together.

            I recommend phones for the sole purpose of security. Get phones for your children that they would have an easy time manipulating. You can check out Lazada’s list of Smartphones below P5, 000 at http://www.lazada.com.ph/get-smart/#content. I personally like touch screens because it makes it easier for my kids to touch whichever app they need to. I bought my two kids a Torque Droidz phone each. It wasn’t that pricey but it was definitely enough to keep me sane when apart from them. I also wanted a phone that looked nice for my 12 year old son who’s getting closer to being a teenager. I bought the same phone for my daughter because she tends to cry over her brother getting all the better stuff. She’s a bit spoiled but I like to make her feel every bit loved considering her dad’s away from us. The same goes with my son.

            I just always keep in mind how important it is to keep my children grounded so they can enjoy being a child. I hate seeing kids so involved in online games as young as 3 years old. It’s a shame really that we sometimes forget to pass on our good childhood memories to our kids because giving them a gadget to play with makes them a lot more manageable than when they choose to play rough.

My wife’s obsession & how I handled it

It’s easy to say that we find something interesting when we like it to begin with. But it can be truly upsetting convincing your partner who refuses to hear you out. My wife is a self-confessed shopaholic. Mall of Asia threw a huge sale/bazaar last month and as expected, my wife knew about it days before it was released in the press. She didn’t have the time to go given her loaded schedule at work. She’s a pre-school teacher at a small private school in Makati.  But because of her extreme need for retail therapy after every payday, she makes use of our Sundays off to make a quick stop to do her shopping errands. And now that we just scheduled a meeting to one of my sister’s broker for a one bedroom unit along Shaw Blvd, she has added furniture to her itinerary making each Sunday more grueling than the previous one. A teacher in control sounds harmless but it is a lot more intimidating in person.

            I opened up to my wife how I understood it was important for her to try out every piece of clothing she saw on the rack that she liked. But I asserted how much time furniture window shopping was killing our only day out as a family (minus the kids for now). We have roughly around two months to buy whatever it is we need when we move in. It would be great if we could maximize our time together now so we wouldn’t feel so neglected from having such in the future especially around the time of then move in. When my sister moved out of our house in Paranaque after getting married to her husband, she tried out a new method she read online about maximizing internet usage through different online applications and activities. One of which was ordering online for instances like move ins to lessen the load of transfer. 

            Online shopping correlates to house deliveries. If before meet ups were all the rage, sellers now are a lot more practical. You can’t really get a 30” plasma TV with matching speakers in a mall (if that’s where you want to meet) without being pulled aside. Practically speaking, shipments via LBC or other delivery establishments is more recommended. My sister bought her large items from Lazada exactly three days before their scheduled move in. She bought an air conditioning unit, microwave, washing machine and a two-door wood cabinet all delivered straight to their new apartment. I told my wife about it and she stayed indifferent towards the idea for an entire week. She said she felt I wasn’t trying to be involved in the whole process and I was opting to choose the easy way out. She sounded ridiculous so I had my sister talk some sense out of her. There’s seriously something about women conversing. Somehow, you girls have a way of communicating and understanding each other in a way us men will never be able to master.