I don’t know about you but the holidays always meant that I will be spending lots of money on presents, Christmas get-togethers, and Noche Buena feasts. So year after year, I’ve tried to be resourceful in gift-giving and my own holiday shopping. Here are some personal money saving tips I can share with you this season.

• Shop in weekends markets. You can find unique gift and food items in Sunday markets that you won’t find in malls. For those who live in Quezon City or near it, I suggest you go to Sidcor Sunday Market and do some of your shopping there. You can find export-quality children’s clothes sold at bargain prices there as well as as organic/natural skin care products that you can give to your girl friends. You can also buy food for your Noche Buena feast there. I highly recommend smoked milk-fish from Big Boss Bangus and taro ice cream. 
• Watch out for mall sales. I regularly pass by Landmark, Glorietta, and SM Makati on my way home from work and there’s always some sale going on. As Christmas approaches, expect mall stores to sell their wares on huge discounts. I’m personally looking forward to Forever 21 doing  a sale.
• Purchase vouchers from group buying sites.  This is the way to go if you like giving gift certificates. Over the last few months, I bought food and travel vouchers for personal use. I save thousands of money because of this. My personal favorite is MetroDeal though I have also bought from Cash Cash Pinoy. If you want to keep track of all the deals from all the legit group buying sites, subscribe to the feed of http://ph-deals.com.
• Brave a trip to Divisoria. A haven for the frugal, Divisoria is usually jam-packed at this time of the year. But you can get clothes and toys at half the price here. A co-worker of mine went here and bought a Christmas tree with all the decorations for only P800. Just make sure not to bring wads of cash since it’s also the playing ground of pickpockets and thieves. 
• Follow your favorite brands and blogs on Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg’s baby is more than just a social network, it’s also a marketplace whether he likes it or not. I know some friends who sell their products through FB, most of them clothing and jewelry. At this time of the year, many businesses and bloggers are having giveaways and contests for their followers. If you win, then you can recycle the prize as a gift to your family and friends.

I hope these tips would help you save money when for your holiday shopping 2011. Happy shopping!

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