Looking for some great food ideas that are cheap and yummy?

Some of you will remember Mr Bargain Queen, my husband and occasional contributor to this blog. Among his many talents, he’s a fantastic cook.

Here’s some great food ideas he wrote some time ago, that you might’ve missed — they’re still delicious!

Here’s another reason to keep your receipts!

After-Christmas sales are in full swing as stores try to clear their inventory and get people to use those gift cards they received beneath the tree. Prices are dropping everywhere.

That’s good news if you’ve got some more shopping to do — and it’s great news for everyone who kept their receipts from Christmas shopping!

Here’s how to take advantage of the sales to get some money back.

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Have you been told over and over again that “It’s the thought that counts”, but you still feel pressured to spend more on someone simply because you feel that they deserve something special? Sometimes it seems that “special” and “costly” are synonyms, but really that’s not the case.

As I shared in My gift shopping strategy, or why small gifts rock, I’m a big fan of gifts that don’t break the budget. If you’re still worried…

It’s Christmas day and you just found out that your aunt is coming to Christmas dinner at your mom’s, but you don’t have a gift for this unexpected guest. The stores are closed and it’s far too late to get anything shipped in time. What do you do?

First off, don’t panic. I’ve got some last-minute gift ideas to get you out of this jam.

Photo: Mars Infomage, flickr.com/marstheinfomage

The stock market has crashed, a world-wide recession is said to be starting — and cheap chic is the topic du jour:

• The Rocky Mountains News asked can cheap be chic?, but delivered an article on whether cheap shoes are comfortable. Disappointing, but then the article to match the headline can be written in a word: “Yes.”
• Forget the stock market, invest in a coat says The Telegraph (UK). (Via The Thoughtful Dresser.) I’ve justified more than a…

Just launched: the Carnival of Thrift Store Addicts, hosted at Idyllic Dreams. Love the idea, so I hope it takes off.

Bloggers, if you have thrift-related posts you’d like to see featured in the next edition, you can submit them here.

If you do, you’re average according to a recent Australian study:

Women aged under 30 bought, on average, 112 garments a year - double that of women aged over 30.

By comparison, the average male bought 29 items of clothing a year.
Source: news.com.au

I don’t think I buy that much, but I will definitely check when I get home.

How about you: do you buy 112 garments each year?

Image: mikefats

Summer break is just about over and even this college grad is looking forward to taking a class or two this fall.  After all, it gives me a great excuse to do a little back-to-school shopping.  Who says you can’t be a nerd and love fashion?

As you update your wardrobe for the upcoming semester, don’t neglect the workhorse of scholastic accessories: the backpack.  This Leader of the Pack zip around backpack from Tignanello combines form, function, and…

If you’re searching for a shopping tote that’s more colorful than these basic grocery totes, but still inexpensive, then I have a keyword for you:

We get a lot of emails asking, “where is the best place to look for …”

To help us answer your questions, we have a list here at BQ HQ where we share all our favorite shopping spots with each other. As well as helping us answer your questions, we also use it to find fabulous things to write about, and of course, to work out which retailers we want as affiliates too!

Today, we’ve decided to…