Have you heard about having a ‘perfume wardrobe’?

It’s an idea that I see regularly in magazines and fashion web sites. It goes a little like this: instead of having a signature scent you wear all the time, you should have a ‘wardrobe’ of perfumes and choose one to suit your mood each day.

It’s also a big con. Here’s why.

This is my favourite dinner party dessert.

It’s easy, impressive, irresistably yummy and costs under $10 for four generous serves.

Are you stuck in an uninspiring rented apartment? If you’d like to make it look a lot nicer for very little money, here’s how to do it.

Firstly, it’s good to understand what you’re allowed to do to the place you’re renting — it varies from country to country and state to state. Here in Australia, you can’t paint walls or replace flooring in your rental place unless you have written permission from the owner, which…

My motto is ‘high style on a low budget’, because I love to prove that you don’t have to spend stacks of money to have fabulous things. Whenever I read fashion or decorating mags, I see the price tags and feel discouraged - but the reality of the taste that money can buy is more Posh and Becks than Cate Blanchett.

To help prove that highbrow doesn’t have to be high cost, here’s some ideas of…

The Bargain Queen and Mr Bargain Queen are about to take on a new challenge: renovating.

We suddenly, unexpectedly have to move (ugh!) and the rental market right now is extremely tough. So after a fruitless search for another rental, we’re moving into Mr Bargain Queen’s investment property. He bought the place with his brother years ago and never intended to live there himself. Living there will be $100+ per week cheaper than renting another place…

The response to my first show-off post was really positive, so I’ve decided to share some more of my bargains with you.

A couple of weeks ago, I went op shopping — which is what us Aussies call thrift shopping. For a grand total of $20 I bought all of the following:

I’ve been contemplating whether I should show off my bargains for a while now.

On the one hand, getting a great deal on something you need should always be celebrated. On the other hand, it’s so frustrating to hear about someone else’s brilliant bargain and realise you’ve missed out.

In the end, I decided that showing how far money can go with a little effort and creativity will hopefully inspire you, not annoy you. (If I’m wrong,…

Since Designer Ella asked to see them, I’ll show off my bags just this once.

If you’ve been reading for a while, you’ll know that I’m obsessed with Longchamp bags. They’re one of my few splurges, and I make a whole bunch of budget trade-offs to afford them. I’m a tightwad about things that are no fun so I can buy things that are — life’s too short not to have some luxuries.

But enough talk, on…

…why don’t you buy the company?

Remember that cheesy 1970’s Remington ad where Mr Remington (Victor Kayam) ‘bought the company’ that sold the razors he so adored? You don’t? Well then you must be much younger and hipper than me.

But either way, Victor was onto one of the biggest bargain ideas around: Invest in stuff you like and are knowledgeable about.

You’re about to learn some secrets that even The Bargain Queen doesn’t know. (That’s mostly because…

This post is part of a series on using insider information to get the best deals. See also: how to get insider info and insider op shopping tips.

If you’d like to pay less-than-retail prices at all your favourite shops — and avoid some shopping traps — here’s how.