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Category Archives: Shopping

Where to buy Maternity Clothes in Abu Dhabi?

28 May

It is quite a challenging task to find maternity working clothes here in Abu Dhabi. Although you will find some casual clothes for pregnant women, maternity office clothes are hard to find.

So after asking few of my pregnant friends, I came up with the following shops that sell maternity clothes.

H&M (Abu Dhabi Mall): I highly recommend this shop. I like the designs and so far this is the only shop I visited that has more options of working clothes for pregnant women.

Studio Style (Madinat Zayed Shopping Centre): Good selection for casual maternity clothes and prices are reasonable.

9 months (Madinat Zayed Shopping Centre): I accidentally discovered this maternity shop in the ground floor. It is just a small shop and their products are made from Turkey.

Max (Al Mariah Mall): Located in the ground floor, they have selection of casual maternity clothes at very affordable prices though designs are very limited.

MotherCare (Marina Mall): This was the first shop I visited. Quite costly and they have limited options only.

If you know any shops for maternity clothes, please let me know!

 
3 Comments

Posted by on May 28, 2011 in Life in Abu Dhabi, Shopping, Shops

 

Second Hand Books

08 Jan


I still need to find proper shelves for my new collections.

Even before I embraced the life of sensible frugality, I always believe on buying second hand novels books. I love collecting and reading books but I do not have the means to cave in always to such indulgence.

So following my post earlier about places in Abu Dhabi where you can hunt second items, I scoured the Dubizzle looking for a good deal of used books last month. Then I hooked up with a woman who read voraciously and fortunately has the resources to buy new books.

Initially she was selling the used novel books at Dhs 10 (USD 2.74) but after negotiating we agreed to slash the price into half considering that I would buy the entire books.

And now, I am proud to add another 136 books in my collection with the genres (detective, crime and thriller) I really enjoy reading.

If you have books to donate for me, let me know and I will be more than happy to receive it. Rest assure your books will be at home in good hands.

 
5 Comments

Posted by on January 8, 2011 in Frugal Tips, Life in Abu Dhabi, Shopping, Shops

 

Where to Hunt Second Hand Items in Abu Dhabi?

24 Nov

image source: www.kiarts.org


United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a country wherein the population of expats is in greater proportion than the UAE nationals or also known as “locals”.

Working expats here just come and go. This is the reason that you can always find a quality second hand items stretching from kitchen appliances, furniture, car, and so on. When expats leave the country, they only have three options – to donate, to sell or to send it to their next destination.

So, if you are like me who recently adopted the last name of “Frugal”, then a second hand or used items shop will be a good hunt, right? Personally I refuse to invest in extra items at home because it will imply extra luggage, more things to pack or to dispose, and a waste of money.

When we shifted to our new flat, we bought the basic appliances and furniture only – washing machine, fridge, bed and cooking stove. Luckily, we had colleague who would be stationed in another country. So we became the generous recipients of his sound system, sets of cooking ware, wall décor, books, lamps, and more though we still need to buy a dining table.

If you are considering to hunt for used items, here are few venues to start.

Dubizzle – This is a famous online classified ads ranging from cars, properties, job opportunities and other miscellaneous stuff.

Souq.com – Souq (Arabic word for market) offers online shopping for new and second hand items.

Spinneys’ Board – Spinneys’ is a premium supermarket scattered in Abu Dhabi and other Emirates. They usually have a board located in the main entrance. You can find ads for second hand items which are for sale.

Nefertiti Used Furniture – A colleague of mine had recommended me this shop but I have not visited it yet until today. According to my colleague, they have a good collection of used furniture and household appliances.

Classified Ads from the newspapers

Bazaar.ae – This is an another online classified ads (which I haven’t explored yet).

 
5 Comments

Posted by on November 24, 2010 in Finances, Frugal Tips, Life in Abu Dhabi, Shopping

 

REVIEW: IKEA – Marina Mall Abu Dhabi (UAE)

17 Apr

One of IKEA’s mock-up living room and kitchen area

 

I bet..  ;-)  You can track pieces of IKEA products in most of the households here in Abu Dhabi. Either you are renting only a room or being accommodated in a villa, some IKEA items are definitely visible everywhere from bathroom, kitchen, kids’ rooms, living room and even to car compartments.  

So, you may wonder why people here have such fondness to IKEA products. I’ll answer that with few questions.   

  1. Do you want to organize your cluttered room?
  2. Do you need more space in your kitchen area?
  3. Are you looking for reasonable and quality duvets or pillows?
  4. Are you scouting innovative ideas on how to maximize your small bedroom?

These are only few reasons that people flock in IKEA. Also, the prices of most of the items are reasonable. No wonder that people from all walks of life just simply storm IKEA for any household concerns.  

One of my closest friends is an IKEA girl too. She visited me here in Abu Dhabi last week after working for more than a year in Qatar. And guest what? She only asked me for one thing – to take here to IKEA in Marina Mall because she missed it as there is no IKEA shop in Qatar.  

So we walked around and she shopped for some items for her new room. Then as we headed to the counter, I couldn’t help but really admire the creativity and innovation of IKEA products. It seems that they invented solutions to whatever household concerns you may have.  

I would say also that the product displays are strategically planned and marketed.  You can spend time also in a corner where items are priced for AED 10 (USD 3) or less.    

Anyway, my friend was indeed very happy when we parted ways that night.  

If you are planning to move here in UAE, IKEA is worth a visit for your household needs.

 
6 Comments

Posted by on April 17, 2010 in Frugal Tips, Life in Abu Dhabi, Reviews, Shopping

 

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