In 2005 I did crazy amount of shopping in $300...I bought atleast 15 outfits 7 of which were really nice party wears from boutiques from Clifton...I was just a kid funding my own trip at that time and took $500 but was sooo happy to have saved $200..anyway..that was 2005
I went back in 2009 and was planning to spend $600 but ended up spending $1000 and bought half as much stuff that I did in 2005..Prices in Karachi are going up like crazy too altough it is still relatively cheaper to buy clothes and shoes and jewellery from there..
Check out Rabi Center at Tariq road if you go to the shops in the "basement" people usually skip them when shopping so those shopkeepers are looking for customers and if you have good haggling skills then you will be able to get good deals on nice clothes... also, there are afghan sellers selling cheap lawn / cotton unstitched suits...you will be comprimising on quality but you will be able to fit a few suits in your budget...
in Pakistan what people do is they get medium range cotton /lawn /linen / georgette suits and add nice laces on them and you will be able to wear them outside...
Also, boutiques like cynoption and exclusive have sales racks where you can buy nice cotton readymade suits for like 2500 to 4000 (at leaset i did when I went in 2009)
as for gifts to bring back...in Millenium mall there are some accessory shops where my sister and I bought these traditional style clutches and they are HOT...they are in colorfult cloth material with beadwork on them..
Go to zainab market ..you can get shawls / stuff for decoration to bring back as gifts..
I am in a hurry so please ignore grammer/spelling mistakes...will update later..
I think you should do most of your shopping with your cousin in Karachi. Tell her that you have a limited budget and are looking for the best deals at the lowest possible prices! That way, she might take you to the shops where she shops at and those that offer better value for money instead of the more expensive branded ones, which she might otherwise assume that, coming from abroad, you would prefer.
Also, if your hosts see that you are conscious about how you spend your money then there will be less expectations that you will be treating the kids out, etc. (although of course very likely they wouldn’t expect even if you were spending like crazy). Still if there are teens and you would like to take them out for dinner once then you could consider Pizza Hut , which doesn’t seem too expensive. A great idea is to order in or take away kabab/tikka and parathas (yum!)…
Okay so in a week I am going to Pakistan to visit the few relatives we have left there. I am going by myself. My husband wanted to give me $300 (27254 Rupees) to spend there on everything. I wanted to get a few saada outfits to wear when visiting my aunts house here in America or for going to the masjid and 2-3 party outfits of which one will be good enough to wear to a wedding. Is this enough? I don't think so. My husband says he may give me $200 more and make it $500. I also have to buy a few friends gifts. Nothing fancy, just a shawl or earrings and bangles. Plus I am also buying gifts from here to give to my relatives there (about 10 gifts)So, I was thinking of getting lawn outfits. I was wondering if there are outfits for $40-$80? I know a friend of mine had a nice outfit on that was a little light but also could be worn to a light dawat and she said it was $70 only but she bought it from some shop in her hometown. Also I am a bit embarrassed because I have a cousin who is very rich and she wanted to take me shopping but I can't afford what she can and don't know how to tell her so I decided to tell her I am shopping in another area with someone but she still wants to take me to some places. The other cousin in KHI where I will be staying are middle class, well a little below that and they cant afford much so if they go out somewhere I may have to pay. My Mom was telling me she went out with them when she was there, just with the kids (they r actually in their teens) and had to pay for them. She felt bad about letting them pay b/c they can't afford to do so much. Thats why I don't think $300 is enough if I am going out for tafri and stuff. any advice for those who live there or have recently visited and done shopping let me know the prices. By the way I am only visiting Karachi and Islamabad. Thanks.
300 dollars! what planet are you living on?
Last time i went to Pakistan, we went to Murree for 2 days, i had PKR 27,000 with me and by next day, were all finished, on top of that there was no money changer in Murree and i cud not change the dollars i had with me.