Salaam everyone! As you probably already know, the VAT has increased in Saudi Arabia from 5% to 15%.This will be a financial burden to some families here. A lot of people took this as an opportunity to go on shopping sprees before the increase happened, myself included. (Although I wasn’t as extreme as my…
Tag: shopping
Ramadan Activity Kit
If you read my blog regularly, you probably already know about some of the books I bought for my daughter this Ramadan. Those books, however, pale in comparison to the Ramadan activity kit I ordered, which is pretty much the holy grail of Ramadan entertainment for children. I ordered an activity kit from the company…
Hidden Talents
Riyadh’s bespoke community really has some hidden gems. With a growing number of festivals and events, you can find a lot of small businesses selling gorgeous handmade goods popping up. It is becoming increasingly common for these shops to advertise their goods through snapchat and instagram. Buyers can text a whatsapp number to place…
All that glitters
A common trend among women in Saudi Arabia is to have a solid gold necklace with your name written on it. As a huge Sex in the City fan, it immediately reminded me of Carrie Bradshaw’s signature necklace. I personally never bought into the trend, but I have a Saudi mother-in-law who bought me a personalized…
Saudi Arabia has giant malls housing designer stores all over the country. Giant towers are full of beautiful designer items, luxury restaurants, businesses, salons, and more. Shopping here really is a unique experience but I cant help but ask myself, “Is designer really better?” Not saying I don’t love designer items from time to time,…
Everything is temporary
While I am waiting on my visa to arrive, I feel like everything is so temporary. I can’t make any solid, long term plans because I don’t know how long I have until I return back to KSA. The other day there was a really great sale on chicken at the grocery store and I…
Gold Market
Downtown in the heart of Buraidah there is a bazaar type setup. It’s a bustling area with many different shops, both indoors and outdoors. Some of my co-workers and I heard that there was a gold souk, so we set out to find it, after making a quick stop at the bakery to sample some…
can u not?
I guess you could say I found my “signature scent” when I was only 21years old. Think Arabic oud meets the sweet yet crisp scents that don’t overwhelm the American pallet. That’s Faedatik, by Swiss Arabian aka my favorite perfume in the world. Don’t get me wrong- it isn’t my only perfume. I really love…
Kitchen Loving
So, everyone who knows me knows that I am obsessed with my kitchen. It’s my favorite room in my home. I love to cook and bake, so it’s only fitting that I have a nice kitchen. Well, I went to a home goods store and I nearly had a heart attack. It’s going to hard…
Fashion sense
Saudi Arabia is considered as one of the most conservative countries in the world. There is a dress code, and women wear black abayas, hijabs, and niqabs. The only thing visible on most Saudi Women when they are in public is their eyes. When they are with other women, however, they are able to wear…
Supermarket haul
As you know I am super in love with how cheap things are here in KSA. Lately I have had to do a lot of shopping hauls since I’m missing a lot of things as I just moved here. Yesterday I was able to take a company bus to town, and went to both a…
Kendra in KSA 