Caroleen’s Treasures

So the Laziest Blogger award goes to ME!!!! BOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

I am sorry for the lack of updates. We were hooked on our small business since last year that went to nowhere. LOL We had opened a store here in Digos last May and opened another two in a span of 4 months. Things are going very well until last September, a supplier from Manila ventured here in our area. Before she came here, we are the only store that sells ukay-ukay from the US but she came and offered every store owners US bales. This badly affected our sales and so we decided to just close the stores and focus on selling pre-loved toys from the US.

Last September while looking for Baby Alive doll that Ella wanted to Christmas, I came across toy sellers. They sell pre-loved from the US and I started buying from them. After three purchases, I decided I wanted to sell too. Since I know where they are getting their toys in Davao, Donald and I visited the store (we are shopping at this store for over two years before we started selling) and studied the system. Going to the warehouse to get toys became a family bonding to us. My sister Crislyn and BIL were also going there to help us pick toys. Since my sister loved kitchenwares, she has bought pieces of Pyrex and Corningware there. After several weeks, we figured a strategy on how to get the best toys and that is to go there very early to get a good post infront of the door. When the door opens, everyone runs like they are in a bull race in Spain. LOL Read more… »

I’ve been dealing with swollen sinuses for sometime now. It goes on and off and is taking a toll on me. I feel the severity of the swelling. Pain goes from my frontal sinuses to my back. I have been having migraine attacks before and I could say I have a high threshold for pain by when my back is affected, that ruins my day. I can’t do much and all I want is to lie with a ball pressed against my back. I am not into taking pain killers but this time I needed it badly. I popped one pill this afternoon and that makes me feel nauseated which I am not happy about. I wish we have a bath tub. It would be very soothing to soak in hot water. So there I am dreaming again of having one…with hot tub covers of course so Eman would not drown in case he escapes from the tight security. LOL

Donald and I’s dream house is not mansion, nor any concrete house but something small and made of native materials. It’s because we wanted to have a home that looks and feels like we are in a farm or somewhere up in the mountains. But then our soon to be home will not be like that. If we will be blessed, I would like to purchase a lot where we could build our dream house with bamboo or log furnitures and have a garden where we could grow our favorite flowers and vegetables. Ella could also raise rabbits, chicken and other animals she love. I so wish this dream could come true.

Time really does fly so fast. I was planning for the summer yet I didn’t even have any plan for Eman’s birthday. I didn’t forget his birthday, it’s just that I am denying to myself the fact that our baby will turn two in 10 days. So in less than a couple of weeks, we are going to enter the TERRIBLE TWO’s. Well he isn’t yet two and he’s as terrible. He made a dry run for the past 6 months and I think we are prepared for the horrifying stage of parenting. LOL

Since that topic is a bit scary, I am just thinking about summer. Oh how we love the beach and we are going back to our favorite resort in Talicud Island. Yey!!!! So summer is about to arrive and I wonder what is the plan of everyone. I bet Julie and her family will go camping again. If only we have RV like them, I think we will go camping too the whole year round. LOL And oh that would be awesome when we go to Digos. Instead of sleeping at my uncle’s place, we could have our own space where we could sleep with eyes and mouth half open. LOL People will surely awed when our mini-van pulls a trailer. The problem is the place where we could get an RV, the bigger problem is when we will need motor home repairs and the biggest problem is where can we get money to buy an RV and to pay for repairs. LOL

So we are back from Digos City and we are happy that we have good sales again. Although it did not break the record last Wednesday, I am still thankful that we have additional moolah for another bale. We spent the night at the camp of 1101st Brigade based in the city. My uncle offered us to stay at his place and we gladly accept it. Shila, his daughter, was there too and that made us feel more comfortable. I hope we can find a room for rent or maybe a house where we could stay overnight during weekends. Shila is also based in Digos so it would be nice if we can get a house and have her stay with us during weekends. Ella had a grand time biking and so is Eman. Read more… »

Since last week, we have been going to Digos City, an hour drive from Davao, to sell ukay-ukay. It was unplanned but it turned out a good strategy in making the return of investment faster. This is how we sell our goods the first few days.

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For how many years that we are into ukay-ukay business, it’s only now that I am feeling there is really money in it. I never entertained the idea of selling the goods to a wholesaler. In this kind of business, the first customer who buys in bulk is called “selector”. They have a quota, usually half the amount of the bale. Sometimes the owner of the bale has three or more selectors who dig in the bale. This set up is not very good since they tend to grab at something that catches their attention resulting to damage of the item. For me, I wanted to open the bale….sort each piece according to price and label them all. The last bale I opened has 1,050 pieces of children’s clothing. This has been my style since we started this business when Ella was still a baby. This way we can monitor if we already have regained the capital. We sell the good ones at a good price but I realized the return of investment takes a very long time. Around 30 days. Read more… »

We joined the weekend midnight bazaar at Matina Town Square last Friday and Saturday. It was equally fun and tiring. The bazaar starts at 6pm but we were there as early as 3pm. The first day we were lucky the little guy was asleep while we set up the booth.

The Teddy Bears kept him company and rested as well because they will be working later. Read more… »

I was stuck with my sewing time and again that I forgot to share some photos of the little guy and his toys. So here are some best shots. I was like a kid trying to play with his cars and chopper who always gets shooed. He doesn’t want me to borrow them so I could take decent photos. We have to work on that attitude that she has learned from big people.

His first Matchbox cars.

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Looking back the days when you were still single, how would you differentiate your life now? How do you keep up with your busy schedule every day?

Well in my case, I married early. I was 21 then. At that time, I was still in college taking up my second course. I shifted from Veterinary Medicine in my hometown to Communication Arts here in Davao. Since I was new to the place, my life then was boring and I feel like I wanted to go home. Then here comes Donald. He invited me for a casual meet-up at McDonald’s. Read more… »