Year of the Water Rabbit: Lunar New Year deals to help beat inflation
MANILA, Philippines — Feng Shui master Patrick Lim Fernandez, in a recent talk for EastWest Priority Lifestyle Series, described this year, the Year of the Water Rabbit as “the peak of spring.”
To let this year “bring about reinvigoration and reintegration back into society,” he advised “to guard against losing focus” with one’s goals.
Given that the world is facing inflation, one’s new year resolutions could be to be a wiser spender. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, domestic inflation soared to 8.1% last December, marking the country's highest inflation in 14 years. What does this mean for us consumers? The Department of Trade and Industry said the public can expect prices of daily necessities to increase early this year.
As such, it will be just prudent to take advantage of good deals especially this year. The following are some offers and saving hacks you could consider:
Grocery discounts
To welcome the Year of the “Rappit,” the online grocery store is offering a host of exciting deals and offers this Chinese New Year to reward customers for their loyalty to the platform.
Rappit ushers in fortune and luck with a Chinese New Year Sale where discounts of up to 20% off are offered for grocery items. There are also flash sales, with discounts of over 50% off on select items, including Kojiesan Skin Lightening Soap Classic 65g (3 packs) for only P35 on January 31. It also has a Piso Sale where you can take home select items for an incredibly low price of P1. This includes Tang Orange 20g on January 25.
For more savings and fortune, you can enjoy the JANMAYER voucher only offered this January: get P200 off plus free delivery, and this offer is yours when you shop with a minimum spend of P3,500.
“We hope these offers will help our customers get savings as they shop for their Chinese New Year celebrations. We are committed to being their go-to grocery sidekick and ensure that they are rewarded for their loyalty to our platform,” said Cindy Toh, Rappit chief executive officer. Rappit is a collaboration between the Puregold Group and Globe’s 917Ventures.
Make 2023 an amazing year, but start it right! Feel 100% confident by being 100% dandruff-free with Head and Shoulders.
If your life were turned into a movie, would you be playing the role of the main character, or are you just another forgettable supporting character? This 2023, make sure you’re the main character in your life story – discovering new faces and places, experiencing new joys, and making the decisions that matter. To do that, you have to look and feel your best. Thankfully, you can have some trusted allies such as Head and Shoulders to make you feel in control.
Having that main character energy doesn’t always come easily. You have to be on top of things, and be in control of what lies ahead. That, of course, doesn’t come easily if you’re not feeling confident because of small, everyday reasons and distractions that leave you with the feeling of not being in control. Traffic, new deadlines, the itchies – these can easily throw you off.
The good news is you can still radiate main character energy despite all these. Face 2023 by resolving to be in control of your day with “no ITCHuations.”
Have a positive mindset. You can only radiate main character energy if you stay positive and see the good in every situation. That means realizing that there are things that are totally in your control, and things that are not. What can’t you control? Traffic, weather, people’s feelings. What can you control? Your time, your plans, and your responses to everyday challenges. Try to see the best in every situation, and think how your presence or action can make even dreary situations turn better.
Remember your aspirations. When there are too many things happening at the same time, you might forget what you are striving for – whether it’s achieving major dreams or little but nonetheless important wants such as going on vacation, a new outfit, or changing hairstyles. Even when you’re swamped by your schedule and everyday pressures, remember your little goals. Have a list of what these are and make time and plans to make these plans happen.
Turn to trusted solutions and allies for your quick fixes. Face it, you can’t do everything on your own. There will also be hitches and distractions in the course of the day for which you’ll need reliable partners. Dandruff, for instance, can put you in “itchuations” that can just make you lose your focus and confidence. Take control by using H&S, touted as the world’s #1 anti-dandruff shampoo brand that can keep you 100% dandruff-free and itch-free for 24 hours. Cool Menthol gives you superior scalp care with every wash, cleaning deeply with a menthol fresh feeling while keeping your hair beautifully moisturized – helping you channel main character energy.
Shopping for daily care essentials but feeling the effects of inflation? Human Nature’s got your back! Enjoy up to P130 off when you purchase your favorite daily essentials at Human Nature.
This new year means another opportunity for us to make “wais” choices—may they be for our health and wellbeing, our homes, or the planet. This is a must-have skill for Filipino consumers especially nowadays when the effects of inflation are just too real not to feel.
To help ease the burden of the rising costs of goods, local brand Human Nature does its part by rolling back prices of our 33 favorite daily skin, hair, and home care essentials by as much as 20% effective January 13. Buy more while saving more by purchasing the brand’s hand soaps, liquid detergent, baby care, and hair care products and enjoy up to P130 price slash. Pamper yourself too by copping our face care must-haves like cleanser, mist, and moisturizer and enjoy as much as P45 off.
You can now also enjoy the cult-classic Sunflower Beauty Oil products starting at P184.75 only. Supporting local brands helps raise up our local economy — and what's even better is that when you buy from Human Nature, you also support living wages to hundreds of workers and uplift farmers through local sourcing at fair trade prices.
Affordable tech upgrades
Leading global smart devices provider, Honor, dropped the official teaser of its first launch of the year. Honor X9a 5G is the latest addition to the X Series, aiming to deliver best-in-class visuals and performance with a Premium OLED Curved Screen, high-capacity durable battery, and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G Mobile Platform, all engineered to fit in a pocket-sized body.
“We are very excited to introduce Honor X9a 5G in the market. It’s something that fans should definitely look forward to as it will really change the definition of premium,” said Honor Philippines Vice President for Marketing Stephen Cheng. “(We are) very confident to bring you a highly durable phone with an OLED curved screen and long-lasting battery life without breaking the bank.”
Packing a long-lasting battery into a compact body, the X9a 5G is the thinnest and lightest smartphone to allow up to two-day use for a truly uninterrupted user experience, and with just 30 minutes of charging, the X9a 5G can deliver up to 12.5 hours of video streaming, sparing users from having to worry about their battery.
X9a 5G will sport a 64MP Super Triple Camera, inheriting the same iconic circular camera layout as the brand’s flagship Magic Series line-up that features a symmetrical Matrix Star Ring camera design at the back, making premium smartphone design more accessible.
Supporting its sleek curved design, X9a 5G is capable of displaying more colors with 10-bit or 1.07 billion colors achieving realistic photos and videos, and compared to other smartphones in the same price range. X9a 5G was officially launched last January 19, and comes in Emerald Green and Titanium Silver colors.
Similarly, welcome the new year with upgrades and discounts from Xiaomi. Up to 43% off on select smart gadgets and appliances are on tap from January 20 to June 20, available in authorized Xiaomi stores and its official Shopee and Lazada stores online.
The brand’s AIoT products are known for their high-quality, affordability, and cutting-edge technology. These products are designed with the user in mind, providing a host of features that make life simpler and more efficient.
One of the most feature-packed wearables in the budget fitness tracker category, the Mi Band 7 offers all-day heart rate, blood oxygen, and stress tracking and supports 120 types of exercise. It boasts a large 1.62-inch, always-on display, an improved charger design, plus a compact, sleek design that doesn’t draw attention. Normally priced at P2,499, it is now available for P2,099 during the promo.
One of the brand’s top smartwatches, the Watch S1 features stainless steel casing, a 1.43-inch AMOLED display, long battery life, 117 fitness modes, dual-band GPS, and an all-day comprehensive health monitor. It comes in a black stainless-steel case with black straps as well as a silver variant with brown straps. Regularly available for P10,999, it now comes at 7,999.
The Buds 3T Pro earbuds provide an unbeatable combination of well-balanced audio, strong noise cancellation, and a comfortable design, making it an ideal choice for those who want an immersive listening experience. Normally priced at P6,999, this item is now available for 3,999.
The Truclean W10 Pro Wet Dry Vacuum offers an innovative cleaning experience with its hassle-free roller brush, which vacuums, mops, and cleans the floor in one pass, leaving a sparkling finish. Its vacuum head design is perfect for getting into tight corners and edges, and its cordless design allows for quick, effortless cleaning of any area in your home or office. You can now purchase this item for P17,999, instead of its regular price of 26,999.
Explore the world again for less
“After three years of the pandemic and with borders reopening, travel is back,” said Rolando Tanchanco, BDO senior executive vice president and Consumer Banking group head.
“We have seen substantial growth in travel-related spending among our American Express Cardmembers. In 2022, airline ticket purchase alone has increased exponentially versus the previous year.”
With the return of consumer confidence in travel, the American Express Explorer Credit Card is a timely addition to BDO’s extensive line-up of credit card products with their partner American Express, he said.
BDO Unibank Inc. and American Express have launched the American Express Explorer Credit Card in the Philippines for the aspiring and frequent travelers eager to explore the world again. Card members earn American Express’ Membership Rewards points, which never expire, and can be redeemed for air miles with a wide range of airlines including award- winning ones and for hotel loyalty points with thousands of hotel properties – giving them greater flexibility and choice, and allowing them to travel for less.
Every P40 spent entitles card members to earn one Membership Rewards point. Each point can then be redeemed for one air mile at six frequent flyer partners: Mabuhay Miles, KrisFlyer, Cathay Membership, Royal Orchid Plus, Enrich and Delta SkyMiles. The points can also be converted into hotel loyalty points from Marriot Bonvoy and Hilton Honors, which both have thousands of properties worldwide including in the Philippines. In addition, the Explorer Card has one of the best rewards rates in the country and no conversion fee.
Card members can redeem their Membership Rewards points from a wide choice of local and international airlines and hotel loyalty programs, including Mabuhay Miles (Philippine Airlines), Hilton Honors and up to P10M travel accident and inconvenience coverage. For more details, visit www.americanexpress.com.ph or go to any BDO branch near you.
While winter is settling in over the Northern Hemisphere, it's freezing even in more tropical climes this year as Agoda introduces its new “Price Freeze” feature. Price Freeze allows travelers to lock in the best deals on Agoda, pay a marginal deposit, and freeze the price from at least one day to up to 14 days.
“Asia has re-opened, and the world is back travelling, yet people still want to know that they are getting the best possible deals, and that’s what Agoda always strives to ensure,” said Omri Morgenshtern, the company’s chief executive officer.
“There are times when consumers aren’t ready to fully commit to their purchase and need time to decide, but we don’t think that should mean they miss out on the best deals. By introducing price freeze technology, we are able to offer travelers even greater flexibility, choice and best prices.”
Price Freeze truly warms the hearts of bargain hunters as even though throughout the “price freeze” period, accommodation costs may go up or down, consumers won’t pay any more than the agreed deal and in fact will enjoy additional savings should the price drop. If travelers choose not to book within the specified price freeze period, only their initial deposit is forfeited.
To mark the launch of this price freezing feature, available on desktop and mobile web at launch, and available globally and on all Agoda platforms in early 2023, the company has created a specially created augmented reality game on Instagram. The goal is to catch as many freezing items as possible (snowflakes, ice lollies, ice cubes) and avoid the hot items (tea, flames) to achieve the highest score. The game is available at Instagram.com/ar/2382038961943203/.
Organize, declutter, redesign, repair, recycle
With the holiday season officially over, now is a good time to re-evaluate and set new goals for 2023. Whatever your new year’s resolution is, Mr.DIY is here to help you achieve it by providing the most useful things at home for your convenience.
Whether you’re looking at sprucing up your home or taking time to prioritize self-care in 2023, here are household items you can easily buy at the largest one-stop shop for home improvement.
A brand-new year often symbolizes new beginnings, but starting anew doesn’t necessarily mean leaving everything behind. Do not let your dilapidated but still functioning home furniture go to waste; restore them with wooden PVC foil. If you want to further amplify your space and give it a fresh new look, opt for a nice wallpaper that you can install in any part of your home effortlessly.
Keeping your home clean is one way to have a clear mind. Avoid building up clutter with Mr.DIY’s storage boxes. Having these home basics will save you from doing trivial tasks and give you more time for more important household chores. As you organize and tidy up, it is inevitable to spot some dirt along the way. Upgrade your regular sponges to sponge handles to make it easier for you to scrub those hard surfaces with a sturdy grip.
Moving on to kitchen essentials — why not give your refrigerator an upgrade? With all the food stock left behind over the holidays and the Lunar New Year, it’s not a bad idea to clean out your fridge. Upgrade your refrigerator tidying up game for as low as P50.
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