Cent-sible Christmas gift ideas

Yes, Virginia, despite the hard times that threaten to get harder, Christmas will not be postponed this year. Fact is, while stretching their hard-earned peso, people are likewise stretching their imagination to come up with rather sensible – or should we say cent-sible – gifts.

"People are buying gifts that have to do with health and wellness," says smart shopper and Shopwise executive Crickette Tantoco. "Organic gift baskets containing organic vegetables are going real fast. So are vitamins and skincare products. Also, sugar-free chocolates."

For diabetics, some of the best things in life are sugar-free. You must have a diabetic friend (or two or three) who’ll appreciate such a gift.

Anything personalized, like gift cards, are going, going, gone. "With your name on the card, the giver is assured his/her gift is not recycled," Crickette notes.

So how many fruit cakes, picture frames, hankies, wallets, pens and ballpens (except, of course, if it’s a Mont Blanc), neckties, cuff links, etc. have you recycled these Christmases past? Just make sure the recycled gift does not end up with the original giver. Or you don’t end up passing on a gift that still has the original card on it – or anything that’s got your name or initials inscribed on it, like a ballpen or a set of cuff links.

Stores like the Shopwise Supercenter offer basketfuls of Christmas gift ideas. "We have a variety of gift baskets ranging in price from P80 to P3,000," says Crickette. "There’s quite a mix of merchandise – for instance, one basket would have a frying pan and noodles; another would have macaroni, pineapple, and tuna, ingredients you need to make macaroni salad."

There are Christmas gift baskets that warm the heart – and the stomach – without burning a hole in your pocket. At a measly P80, you can have a basket loaded with rice, sugar, meat loaf, sardines, and tuna.

But of course, you can always create your own basket to suit your taste and budget.

Is there a nice Christmas gift you can buy at only P5?

"That’s a very challenging question," Crickette replies. "At Shopwise, we have specially made cookies for only P5."

As usual, butter, eggs, and sugar go fast during this season. A lot of people are either baking their own Christmas goodies or buying them. They’re still the season’s hottest buys. A lot of enterprising housewives are keeping the underground economy alive and well by offering, for instance, the ultimate chocolate cake or the ensaymada to make your day or to die (or is it diet?) for.

People are also going for gifts that are big but their price is small," Crickette points out. "Like the Tupperware picnic set that costs only P200."

But if P200 is way above your puny budget, there are gifts below P100 like C hristmas stockings with candies at P30, nightgowns and T-shirts at only P30 to P50 per.

"Because of the higher oil prices, spending is down by five percent from last Christmas," says Crickette. "With the money spent on gas up and your budget and income fixed, you’d cut down on the basics."

These days, when people shop, they go with a budget. Spending is down – for instance, if a consumer used to spend P700, he’ll now spend only P400.

Smile and keep your chin up – you’ve just won another battle with inflation!

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Looking for a priceless gift that won’t cost a cent? Well, how about giving your mom a rare day-off from housework by volunteering to do the laundry, the dishes or the cooking? Or offering to tidy up your sister’s or brother’s perpetually messy room? Or running an errand for your dad? Or taking care of your younger siblings so Mom and Dad can have sometime together by themselves? Or paying your cranky old aunt a rare visit and offering to read her favorite book or play Scrabble. Or visiting a sick friend and spending time with him/her.

Yes, you can give love on Christmas!

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The unadulterated truth about virgin coconut oil

Virgin coconut oil, with its countless health benefits, has stirred a lot of consumer interest. People are not only talking about it, they’re using it, too. Amid this coconut craze, people are craving to find out the unadultered truth about the VCO. Read this letter from a VCO manufacturer:

Dear Consumerline,

Recently, I received inquiries on a TV program about a certain doctor who said that if the selling price of VCO for a 250ml bottle is below P100, it’s fake and might be mixed with mineral oil (from petroleum). Unfortunately, that doctor is new in the VCO business and trying to pass himself off as an expert. He is endorsing a brand that belongs to a small distributor who wants to make a killing. They buy the VCO in bulk at P120 per liter and sell it at P250 per 250ml. bottle or P1,000 per liter! They are spreading false information to sell their overpriced VCO.

They reason out that the cost of coconuts is high. But if you’re an efficient producer, you can use each and every part of the fresh coconut efficiently. The skin of the coconut can be pared for crude coconut oil or cooking oil production. The residue of the pressed coconut meat can be used to produce low-fat desiccated coconut for export at a relatively good price. The coconut water can be used to produce coconut juice. These are valuable products that can add to the overall income of an efficient producer. That is why they can sell at a price that consumers can afford.

Since there are many brands of VCO on the market today, consumers should careful not to buy based only on what they hear or read via TV, radio, and print ad endorsements.

Here’s what to look for in good quality VCO:

• Outside appearance should be clear and water-like in color when not in an air-conditioned room. (It is easy to detect if the VCO is mixed with mineral oil or not. If you put it in the refrigerator, the real VCO should solidify fairly fast.)

• Color should not be yellowish. If yellowish, it is either with coconut skin, which has a lower lauric acid content, or it is mixed with copra or overheated. (The Philippine National Standard says VCO can be process-heated or non-heated. But not overheated, which causes the yellowing.)

• It must have the smell and taste of fresh coconut. There should be no sour or rancid taste. (A certain brand says that sour and rancid is better. That’s a lie!)

When not to buy:

• Do not buy if it tastes awful. (It must have been erroneously processed. They did not separate the VCO properly so there are too many impurities.)

• Do not buy just because the VCO is available in a major drug store or supermarket chain. (Most merchandizers in those stores do not themselves know what quality VCO is. They buy based on the packaging and the big discount they can get from their suppliers.)

• Glass bottles are no better than PET bottles, unless you are going to store your VCO for many years.

• If the brand is extremely expensive, be careful. (You could be another victim of low-quality, high-priced VCO.)

• Do not buy brands that claim to have 70 or even 90 percent lauric acid. With 70 percent lauric acid, it should be solid at room temperature and the taste is soapy.

I certainly hope more and more people will benefit from VCO, truly a miracle oil, and that there will be less and less of those wise guys who try to pull a quick rich scheme at the expense of the poor consumers.

SING

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