Balikbayan Take-Home: Xtreme MagicSing

When you live abroad, it's a must na may sarili kang karaoke mic sa bahay lol. Aside from personal enjoyment, importante yan kapag may bisita ka sa bahay, pang-entertain kumbaga. Kaya naman ang isa sa agenda ko sa pag-uwi dito sa Pinas this year ay ang makabili ng Magic Sing hehe.

Most of our friends in Edmonton have this already, kaya siyempre nakikigaya kami. Ford and I are not bibo when it comes to karaoke singing, shy kami sa mga tao. Pero kapag kaming dalawa lang, kanta kami ng kanta haha!

Noon pa namin gustong bumili nito kaso nag-apartment lang kami the past 2 years. Sabi namin kapag nagkabahay na lang uli. At eto na nga, nakalipat na kami last November! =)

I knew that there are so many karaoke microphones now but I only wanted to buy in SM. Wala na akong energy na maghanap-hanap pa, saka mas credible for me ang nabibili sa mall kesa Lazada o Shopee.

While waiting for TanTan to finish his train ride in SM Marilao last May 1, ayun nakita ko ito. Yung presyo na lang talaga ang tiningnan ko haha. Less than Php15,000 so pwede na. Wala akong balak bumili ng mahal kasi nga hindi naman nga kami "pro" ng asawa ko sa kantahan.

When I asked the saleslady, parehas lang naman daw halos ang dalawang units na ito, wireless microphone lang yung mahal.  Lalo akong na-convince bilhin yung cheaper syempre. I asked the saleslady about their ongoing promo, less Php1,000 daw plus Php6,000-worth of hotel voucher (sa Ilocos at Baguio nga lang haha!). Then she suggested na sa May 23 daw, may 10% promo ang SM kaya malaking tipid din. Ayos, sabi ko babalik ako.

At syempre kelangan ko munang hingan ng pera ang asawa ko. My mother was volunteering to buy it for us kaso nahihiya na ako. Super dami na niyang gastos sa amin ni TanTan dito eh. Ford initially wanted me to get the cordless one, but I disagreed. Sobrang mahal na kako yun, doble ang halaga tapos "cord" lang ang difference. Ok na kako muna yung mura, we can always buy again next time kung magugustuhan namin.

A few days ago, a saleslady of another brand was convincing me to buy their product. Grand ang tatak (dating Wow daw). Their cheapest unit is more expensive than Magic Sing's so medyo turn-off ako (lol again). Pero medyo ginoogle ko pa rin kung ano ang mas ok. I also even asked a friend in Edmonton kung ano sa tingin niya ang ok based on their experience.

To cut the story short, Magic Sing won. So bumili na nga ako kahapon.

The salespersons were very happy with their sale hehe. Medyo madami nga raw bumibili nung Php14,900 unit lately, dinadala sa abroad. I think most nga ng bumibili ng karaoke microphones ay taga-abroad. Dito kasi Php500 lang ang rental ng videoke machine kapag may handaan so no need to buy your own.

This is the unit that I bought. Less Php500 lang pala ang summer promo nila. Yung Php1,000 discount is for the cordless one.

I only paid a total of Php12, 960. Not bad na rin. Sulit ang paga-antay ko ng May 23 kasi Php1,440 rin ang natipid ko.

And they were not kidding about the hotel vouchers! Meron talaga! The vouchers are valid for a year kaso kung kanino lang nakapangalan. I had the option to have it under a different name kaso sino naman. Kaloka, gusto ko tuloy mag-Baguio haha! Pero I wonder rin kung makakapag-book nga ba ako using these haha. Let's see.

Ayan, one item off my shopping list! Excited na akong gamitin ito kahit na na-info overload ako sa mga instructions na pinagsasabi nung saleslady. Oh well, bahala na ang asawa ko na magset-up nito. We don't have many friends yet in BC at hindi ko alam kung kelan kami magkakabisita sa bahay pero for sure masusulit pa rin ito. =)

Free baby food at Ikea

Ford and I are self-confessed Ikea addicts and we are not ashamed to admit that most of our house stuff came from this Swedish furniture retailer. We like that their items are "modern" and perfectly fit for our small town home. We also love to eat there as their meals are relatively cheap.

Now that we have a son, we are now experiencing and enjoying Ikea's "love for families" mantra (which we used to take for granted pre-Nathan times). Aside from the family parking spots and play area, I also noticed that they give free meals to children.

And then last week, we saw these Heinz baby food. Yebaah, we have another reason to visit Ikea often!

We were so thrilled! Ford and I are such shallow people (in short, mababaw lang ang kaligayahan), happy na talaga kami sa freebie na ito. We specifically like it when we get something for our baby, nakakatuwa lang talaga. We really appreciate it.

To avail of the free baby food, you just have to show them that you have a baby haha! Kailangan talaga kasama siya sa pagpila.

And then my husband thought of something:

FORD -- Next time, dalawang pila ang gawin natin. Una muna ikaw, dalin mo si Nathan. Tapos ako naman. Para dalawang baby food ang makuha natin.

CES -- Kaloka, dahil sa Heinz manggagantso tayo? Pinoy na pinoy ang diskarte ha! Haha!

Of course, the husband was just kidding.

I hope this free baby food is a permanent Ikea Restaurant offering. Nathan love the Heinz brand so masusulit namin ito. Sayang din noh, $0.80 ang worth niyan sa Walmart haha!

First freebie for Chicklet

Haha, forgive me for my kababawan but I was really thrilled when the husband came home last night carrying this...

POD -- Oh eto, nakuha ko sa mailbox. Saan ka na naman nagsign-up???
BIM -- Ha, ano yan? (I still couldn't figure out what it was.)
POD -- Para kay Chicklet! Hay naku kung saan-saan ka na naman nagsa-sign-up!

Until now, I couldn't decipher what it really is. Kung wet wipes ba o diaper. Kaloka!

But one thing is definite, the small package was really for me. May name ko oh! And it came from Kimberly-Clark. Hmm, saan nga kaya ako nagsign-up? I really can't remember.

When I first came here in Edmonton as an immigrant, one of the first things I did was to sign up in different websites (especially couponing sites) with the hopes that I can get as much good deals and freebies that I was getting in the Philippines. My life in the Philippines the last few years revolved around promos and freebies eh haha! I've mastered it, lalo na yung credit card freebies. I had 12 credit cards in Pinas which I used in the business so I had a lot of perks. Most of my clothes, shoes, books, home stuff, stationery, and food came free -- imagine that! At iyon talaga ang pinanghinayangan ko noong umalis ako.

My interest in couponing here weakened (siguro temporarily) because I realized that we don't use most of the products that have coupons. Until now, our pantry is still filled with Filipino items. Even the soap I am using is Safeguard. Dalawa lang din kami sa bahay (as of now) so we have very limited needs - no need to hoard.

Just last week, I unsubscribed from all the websites that I subscribed to. I cleaned my mail box and was relieved that I can now see all my 'legitimate' emails (unlike before na natatabunan). It was emancipating. My only problem is that when I buy something from a store and the cashier asks for my email address so they can put me on their mailing it, I cannot decline. I just do not have the heart to do so! Haha, sabi ko sa sarili ko ia-unsubscribe ko na lang later.

But still, getting free stuff (kahit ano pa yan) is exciting! Sana more pa. Thank you, Kimberly-Clark!

Free birthday drinks from Starbucks

I received an email from Starbucks a couple of days before my birthday 'reminding' me to redeem my free birthday reward from them.

Whoaah! I almost forgot this reward! I haven't been drinking Starbucks na kasi since January. In fact, my Starbucks card (that Pod has given me when as part of my 'welcome gift') is still loaded. Even prior to my pregnancy, I kinda stopped drinking mocha frappucino na (I am an ADDICT in Pinas) because I find its taste here to be bland. Wala pang chocolate syrup or mocha sauce on top.

Anyway, I checked my Starbucks account online and confirmed that I indeed can claim a free drink or food on my birthday. I was so happy! I miss getting freebies haha!

Unlike in the Philippines where you can claim just a free cake on your birthday (and you have to BUY a drink), here you have to option to choose a drink - which is more sulit because it's more expensive than any other pastry. You also can also get any size you want.

After my birthday dinner at River Cree, Ford and I claimed my free mocha frapp at the nearby Starbucks.

POD -- Oh bat ang laki naman? (referring to the venti size)
BIM -- Syempre naman noh, sayang free lang naman hehe!

I took a few sips (three I think), which is bad because I promised myself "zero sweets" until I've given birth. But it was my birthday naman, so I gave in haha! Ford consumed the rest of the drink.

Thank you, Starbucks!

Happy for the freebie!

I received an email alert from Grocery Alerts (one of the couponing sites I subscribed to)  this afternoon. The site sent me quite a number of coupons, including this:

Binasa ko ng paulit-ulit. Hmm, free lotion daw. Hindi discounted, hindi conditional - basta FREE lang. I got excited and saved it on my phone.

Sakto that Ford and I went to West Edmonton Mall after his work. I told him about the free lotion and asked him to read my online coupon. Haha, I needed to be sure. Ayaw kong mapahiya sa Bath and Body noh!

So upon my husband's go signal, I went inside the store and nervously asked a cashier about this free thing. She instantly said "yes" and I got to choose my free lotion! I was so happy!

$13-worth of lotion

Honestly, I missed getting freebies like this! Sa Pinas, lahat na ng freebies nakukuha ko (mostly from my credit card transactions) - from clothes, grocery items, toiletries, food, books, medicines, toys, etc. I am excited with the thought na ang freebies naman dito sa Edmonton ang ima-master ko haha!

See, absolutely free goody from Bath and Body! I wonder what`s the rationale behind their giving it out for free. Oh well, bahala na sila. Basta ako super saya! #mababawnakaligayahanmode

$0.00!

Thank you Bath and Body Works and Grocery Alerts! You made my day very happy! More freebies please! =)