7 More Budget Shopping Spots For The Home
Whether you're looking for affordable furniture, houseplants, or decor, these are the budget hotspots to head to
Department stores are convenient places to buy your furniture and décor. But while the malls are air-conditioned and comfortable, it might be worth the heat and the crowds to go to off-the-beaten track shopping spots to snap up a diamond in the rough, at a rock-bottom price. Here are seven of Real Living’s favorite bargain haunts:
1. Furniture: Abad Santos
Hop on an LRT1 train and get off at the Jose Abad Santos station in Quezon City and discover that this long street has some of the cheapest furniture pieces. You can buy anything here, from office furniture and sofas to batibot chairs and solihiya seats.
READ: You Can Find The Cheapest Furniture An LRT Ride Away
2. Plants: Cartimar
You may remember Cartimar as popular place in the '80s and '90s to buy pets, bikes, and imported shoes. But it’s also a great spot to snap up tropical potted plants (and you may want to bring home a goldfish afterwards).
Cartimar Ave., Pasay City (enter through Sen. Gil J. Puyat Ave. near LRT station)
3. Filipiniana: Quiapo
Shoppers might go straight to Hidalgo and Villalobos for accessories and kitchen ware, but it’s also worth heading to Ils de Tuls or Ilalim ng Tulay for incredibly affordable Filipiniana gift items, décor, and capiz lamps.
READ: The Ultimate Quiapo Bargain Shopping Guide
4. Everything under the sun: Divisoria
For those who are willing to brave a weekend shopping trip at Divi, the best thing to do is to make a battle plan of where to start. You might want to begin your shopping journey at the upholstery stores of Tutuban Mall, or at the décor and lighting stalls of 168 before trooping out to the streets.
READ: The Best Divisoria Shopping Tips For 2018
5. Dinnerware and Christmas ornaments: Dapitan Arcade
Dapitan is still the best place to buy below-P100 quality dinnerware, tableware, servers, glasses, and ceramics. If you’re looking for specific pieces, best to go before the “Ber” months, when mostly Christmas décor is being sold.
READ: The Ultimate Dapitan Arcade Shopping Guide
6. Fabric, hip vintage items: Kamuning
Kamuning in Quezon City is the shopping equivalent of your cool Tito letting you sit down on his leather sofa while he plays vinyls on his vintage turntable. If you’re looking for unique segunda mano items with attitude, this street is the place. Kamuning market, on the other hand, is a good area to have upholstery, curtains, and pillows customized with the fabric that they have on sale.
READ: The Ultimate Kamuning Shopping Guide
7. Secondhand items: Evangelista
The district of Bangkal in Makati (Evangelista is just one of its many streets, but the whole area is often generally referred to as “Evangelista”) is one of the original secondhand shopping spots in Metro Manila and has many fine pieces that even the most discerning shoppers would appreciate. A lot of collectors come here for antique Filipino furniture, imported china, artwork, and other hidden treasures.
