Confessions of a Daiso addict

We don't really like going to the malls in general: hubby hates shopping, and I am not fond of jostling with crowds. So in general, I tend to do most of my shopping online, especially since it is almost impossible to shop with three kids in tow. However, there is still one shop that I still visit quite frequently, and that is Daiso. 

The hubby shakes his head whenever I say I need to go there, but he acquiesces each time. Once, I caught him staring at sieves glassy-eyed, with three different ones in his basket. Since then, I use that to justify my purchases, with a "remember, you nearly bought three sieves last time? I'm actually getting stuff the kids need for craft!" Everything is $2, the store stocks almost everything under the sun, and it is almost impossible to walk out of there without buying something.

We've shared our favourite buys from the store last time in this post (along with links to other mummies who shared their top Daiso picks), and here are four more items we love:

:: Plastic pebbles and water beads: These are sold in the gardening section, and they are just perfect for sensory play! The boys love scooping and pouring the water beads, and it's relatively mess-free compared to sand or dough. I initially bought the coloured pebbles, as I wanted to make our own light table and use the pebbles with it. I handed the bottle of pebbles to Lil J today when he was playing with his construction vehicles, and he spent almost two happy hours scooping, digging and pouring them. It was easy to clean-up compared to sand, the pebbles gave a satisfying rattle as he poured them from container to container, and the boy had lots of fun. And all for two bucks!

:: Tea bags: Daiso sells these in packs of 110 pieces. These are really great for filling up with spices when you are cooking stews and soups (don't you hate how you have to fish out the bits of star anise in your soup?), or just for brewing tea. I especially love putting ikan bilis inside when I am making soup or porridge, since taking those tiny fish out after cooking can be really troublesome. 

:: Very cute cleaning mitts: These used to be sold at Daiso, and then suddenly went out of stock for a long time. Now they are back on the shelves, and the boys love them! They fight over who gets to use the mitts, so I've had to resort to getting one per kid. 

:: Tape: Daiso used to only sell plastic tapes, but now they stock washi tape in all sorts of patterns and colours, as well as lace tape (lace with a layer of adhesive) and fabric tape. Some of the nicer patterns come in rather short rolls, which means they aren't exactly very cheap, but the design are really pretty, and the quality is decent. There are also simpler patterns (like airmail stripes and polka dots), which come in fat, juicy rolls, and I love those for crafting with kids since one roll goes a long long way!

So there you have it, a few more reasons to hop down to Daiso. And no, I was not sponsored to write this post. Here's to a blessed weekend, and do pop by next week because we'll be sharing a fun project as well as a giveaway!