The not-quite-almighty American dollar
I still haven’t quite gotten over how expensive things are here. In the Philippines, $20 can get me a pair of jeans, three or four great-looking tops, and a pedicure. Here, $20 can’t even get me a pair of jeans on sale, and any tops priced lower than twenty are poorly made or fit badly.
My hairdresser in the Philippines charges Php 350 for a haircut, which is roughly around $6. I went to my aunt’s hairdresser last weekend, who charged me a whopping $45 to snip off a few inches of hair! It was a good haircut but still. I was only prepared to spend around $25 for that. Today, my aunt treated me to a pedicure that cost $20. Though I sat on a chair that massaged my back, it’s still very expensive compared to my Php 200 pedicure ($3.50) back in Manila.
I don’t even bother converting these prices into pesos because that will just make me feel cheated and guilty. But the exhorbitant prices in this country taught me to restrain myself and think every item through before pulling out my wallet.
The questions I usually ask myself every time I am tempted to buy stuff are:
Is it on sale? If it is, is it worth buying? (So far, everything I have bought was on sale.)
Can I buy this at the Philippines?
Will I die if I don’t have this item?
Can I afford it?
And I recommend any traveller to ask himself/herself these everytime you go to a mall or bazaar abroad. There’s nothing like buying a random item from another country to make you feel like you really traveled.
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9 Responses to “The not-quite-almighty American dollar”
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It depends where you’re coming from. Now would be the time for me to visit the US - things are only half the price there! The dollar’s actually very weak at the moment.
Oh..Ask your aunt if she’ll be able to take you to the outlet MALL….A lil cheaper compared to the regular mall….Have Fun!!!
Yup, definitely try the outlet malls, they’re a little far away from big cities but they’re usually worth the trip. I think the best time for shopping would be in the fall though, when summer clothes are on sale. It’s when I stock up on pasalubong to send back home to friends in the Philippines. Enjoy though and post some pics, please?
If youre not earning $, things will seem to be expensive.
And im with you, dont buy unless you really need the stuff.
wow. Those rules/criteria for buying stuff won’t work for me AT ALL. haha. I hate being a shopaholic.. but I can’t help it. And yes, like other people said on their comments… outlet shops are great and it really does depend where you are. If you earn money in dollars.. you won’t feel all that bad. BUT STILL you’ll be constantly broke if you keep spending and spending. I have yet to figure out how to cure myself. LOL.
Nice blog. xo.
Gee, i know the solution to your prob: stay away from shops/malls!
Wow, I can’t believe how cheap things are in the Philippenes, I live in the UK and thats even more expensive than the US
I think I need to migrate!
Glad you had a good trip! Yes, things are more pricey here than in Phil. I just went back to Phil in April to visit family and for us it’s the opposite. Everything is so cheap. So I sympathize. Did you go to any outlets? Those are good places to get ‘name brand’ at affordable prices. When my Phil. cousins visited the US, Ross was their favorite too.
However, I found China to be even cheaper than Phil! heh. -t
i totally agree with you. It’s the same here in the Netherlands yet the U.K. tops it…