While she’s no healthfood freak, The Bargain Queen does enjoy a fresh juice from time to time. And even Mr Bargain Queen can occasionally be persuaded to substitute his coffee for the fruity stuff.

But why spend money on juice when water can quench your thirst just as well?

Here’s a few ways that juice can save you money, if you get the right stuff.

The Bargain Queen usually likes to keep things breezy and fun, but today she’s going to talk about some of the serious stuff: lifestyle trade-offs.

If you want to stick to your budget and still be fabulous, there will be some trade-offs you have to make. Maybe you spend all your money at the hairdresser and live in a hovel? Or eat like a King and dress like a hobo? Or drive a great car but…

The Bargain Queen blog has just been added to Project Blog (presented by The Budget Fashionista). It’s a directory of all the best fashion, beauty and shopping blogs around so I’m thrilled to get a listing!

If you’re interested in fashion, beauty or shopping go check it out :)

Just FYI, there was some comment spam left over the weekend so word verification has been turned on. I get just as annoyed deciphering those silly word pictures as everyone else does, but it seems preferable to having a blog that’s covered in spam.

Apologies for any inconvenience.

The Bargain Queen’s been working on the cheaper cat food challenge set by her friend kt. Cheaper cat food has never been a big issue for The Bargain Queen because she has just one cat, and Queen Kitty is tiny. She costs $5-10/week to feed, which is nothing compared to rent, bills and clothing expenses. But The Bargain Queen is always up for a challenge :)

So here’s an update on the cheaper cat food options we’ve…

While I gets most of my plants cheaply, I’ve been buying seedlings from time to time - mostly because it seemed like the only way to grow things that aren’t typically given away. It might sound silly but growing from seed seemed intimidating, time-consuming and way too difficult. Every pack of seeds I picked up stated that seed raising containers and special potting mix are needed, and then you have to find a spot that’s…

Looking for some fantastic, cheap clothing? Thrift stores (or op shops as we call them here in Australia) offer some great deals.

I volunteer at my local op shop occasionally, so I’ve seen the best (and worst) shopping techniques in action.

Here’s how to get some great deals.

(And for more tips, check out my post on how to get insider shopping info from a couple of days ago.)

If you followed the link from Digs Magazine and are here for the first time, welcome!

The Bargain Queen blog is all about living well on a budget and feeling good about it. Here you’ll find information on saving money (without compromising on style) in all aspects of your life: food, entertainment, fashion, beauty, gardening, decorating and a whole lot more.

It’s written by The Bargain Queen and her husband, Mr Bargain Queen. They’re 27 and 31 respectively and live…

Frequent Flyer programs are a waste of money. There, I said it.

For those of you who like Frequent Flyers, I promise there

Getting insider info makes it so much easier to find great bargains. If you know:

• WHO sells the type of thing you’re looking for,
• WHAT they most want or need to sell,
• WHEN their sales are slowest,
• WHY they discount and
• HOW they sell their clearance stock

…it’s a whole lot easier to find the best deals.

Here’s how to get that information: