Awesome Gifts for Only 88 Pesos!

The holiday season is here and you're probably fixing your gift list for family and friends. It's also the time for exchange gifts among barkadas and office mates. If you're on a budget, wastelands are the perfect place to search for your gifts! I did the window shopping for you dear readers, and I found awesome items at Daiso Japan (a.k.a. the 88-peso store) in Trinoma (it's inside True Value on the ground floor). While they're affordable, they don't look cheap, plus they're all very useful! There's also a variety of gifts to choose from for whatever personality the recipient has.


For the Girly Organizer: A flower-printed plastic accordion file keeper.

This is so cute! It has 13 pockets for receipts, tickets, and other knick knacks. It's also great if you're trying to budget your cash. Just put sticky labels on the tabs for each budget category. It's small enough to fit your purse.

The print is so kawaii!

Oh, here's a spending tip I learned. If you want to buy something, say a pair of shoes or a bag, it's better to save for it first. Put away a portion of what's left of your money after savings and expenses (use this accordion keeper!), then when you have the money and the item is still in the store, then buy it. That way, you don't incur an unnecessary expense, plus you get time to think about your purchase. Do you really want it or is it just a spur-of-the-moment thought? Then, if you end up not wanting it after all, or if it's no longer available, you end up with more savings! 

For the Wanderlust: A waterproof travel document holder. 

This is great especially when you're traveling to a place with rainy weather, or if you're clumsy and have a tendency to drop your things. It's important to keep your travel documents safe and dry! Daiso has other passport holders in different designs including Mickey Mouse and Star Wars prints. 

This document holder doesn't just hold your passport, it also has pockets for your airline tickets, boarding pass, foreign currency, and even your train cards. A travel tip: Make sure you have the local currency of your destination with you before you leave the airport. You don't have to exchange all your money at the airport, because you might get a better rate in money exchange stores outside, but make sure you have at least $100 worth with you for emergency purposes.

For the Techie: Daiso has an entire wall devoted to different products for your phone and computer. iPhone cases, headphones, cables, mouses, take your pick!

For the Fitness Enthusiast: Weights.

The blue and red dumbbells on top weigh 1Kg each, while the aquamarine and baby pink ones below don't indicate the weight, but you can fill them with water to make them heavier. The 1Kg dumbbells are such a great deal because those cost a lot in sport shops.

For the New Mom: Baby socks/booties. I'm not a mom so I don't claim to be an authority in this, but I think it's best not to buy expensive gifts for newborns/infants especially for clothes and shoes because they outgrow them so fast! Just make sure that the quality of the product is good and won't cause any skin allergies for the baby. 

For the Explorer: Multi-Functional Portable Knife. This is a useful gift to your friends and office mates who love to be ready for anything. You can use it for camping, fishing, or just opening a wine bottle! It's made of steel too so you know it will last long.

Bonus: For the Makeup Lover, an acrylic case with mirror. 

This one costs more than Php88 (Php188 if I remember it right), but is still a good find because it sells for double the price in other stores. You can organize your lipsticks or earrings in the compartments and it has a convenient mirror for when you wear them. 

I love wasteland stores because you find a lot of affordable items that you'd otherwise pay much more for in other places. The important thing is to make sure you only buy what you really need because you can get carried away since everything is so affordable.

I hope I helped you trim down your list, go and share this post with your family and friends!

For a list of Daiso Japan branches in the Philippines, click here. 
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