We are moving to Manila in January and our shipping container is coming next week to be packed. I was told by some friends to have 2-3 months worth of comfort food in my container. Do you agree with this, and if so, what items would you wish you would have brought. (I am aware no meat/dairy/or agricultural products can be imported). I'm talking about Peanut Butter, Jelly's, Kraft Mac and Cheese, vitamins for my kids, etc. I know the Philippines are much more Americanized with American brand named items, but I'm not sure what items can be found. I know it's a very broad question, so any answers will be appreciated.
Shipping container
txatmag
05 November 2012 19:37:01
2
Melissa346
06 November 2012 06:07:52
861
Hello txatmag,
Welcome to expat-blog!
A little introduction maybe?
I hope you'll get some answers very soon.
Melissa
pinaymentor
09 November 2012 11:25:57
157
That's a nice set of words, comfort food. That's true, whatever food that your family would crave for should be brought in from cereals, to peanut butter, to mac n cheese, you name it! Although they are available here, it can come in pricey. The places to get most of the Us brands are in s&R which is costco here, Metro, and other local supermarkets.
Which area are you moving in so I can tell you where to go for shopping.
Vitamins and supplements from the US are far better and cheaper. We usually order online for wholesale deals and have it shipped here through balikbayan, cheaper!
If your spouse love to bake, bring some walnuts, almonds, dried fruits.
How old are your kids?
Sunblock lotion, swimming gears ( us brands are expensive here for those items, get the goggles, flippers (find the ones that are enclosed because most of the beaches have lots of corals, sea urchins),swim suits...
sports - buy your sporting gears there specially if you want fishing. in fact some guys are asking for fishing gears which I still have yet to locate.
note: each one of you if you are travelling via PAL(Philippine Airlines, you have 2 boxes or 50 lb luggage allowance. Bring your valuables with you during your flight. Not that I am loyal with PAL because I used to work there, but I enjoy the comfort of a direct flight with their own airport facilities.
let me know if you need help on reservations and ticketing. if you go directly to the website, philippineairlines.com, you should be able to find the best deals even without going through other websites. if coming from outside California, go to wego.com for special deals on local flights or again local airlines offer special deals too. let me know if you need help, i will show that to you.
that's all I can think at the moment. hope that helps!
Let me know how else we can help you like assistance at the airport upon arrival, places to stay, etc.
Pinaymentor
txatmag
09 November 2012 21:18:28
2
Thank you for your reply!
Which area are you moving in so I can tell you where to go for shopping?
Manila, specifically Alabang. (Does that make sense?)
Vitamins and supplements from the US are far better and cheaper. We usually order online for wholesale deals and have it shipped here through balikbayan, cheaper!
What is balikbayan?
How old are your kids? I have three children al under the age of 8. Two are going to be attending school.
Thanks for the info on airlines! We are at the mercy of my husbands company for our initial flight over, but being that we wil be here a while, I foresee us traveling a bunch!
Thanks again for your advice. I forwarded it on to my husband. I plan on going shipping one last time before we load the container! I'm glad you replied, because you definitely put some things that I had completely overlooked. Specifically the swimwear!!
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