The Diary of a Frugal Family | Living a Fabulously Frugal Family Life

Instant Pot Chicken and Rice….

309701 CommentInstant+Pot+Chicken+and+Rice....2026-05-09+11%3A50%3A37Cassandra May 9, 2026 By Cassandra
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This Instant Pot chicken and rice recipe is one of those meals that I still think about, which probably sounds a bit dramatic considering we’re talking about rice in a bowl, but honestly, it was that good.I don’t actually have my Instant Pot anymore, which is one of those practical decisions that made sense at the time but still makes me a bit sad. We simply didn’t have the space for it in our old house, so it had to go, but I really do miss it. There were a few things I made in it regularly, but this chicken and rice was the one meal that everyone loved and the one I could make without … [Read more...]

What’s growing in my garden {May 2026}….

454711 Comment2026-05-08+11%3A00%3A55Cassandra May 8, 2026 By Cassandra
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One of the things I love most about our new house is the garden, which already feels like it has the potential to become such a lovely space for us. It’s probably my favourite part of the house, if I’m honest, and ever since we moved in I’ve been itching to get out there properly. I want to learn more about the plants that are already here, work out what needs a bit of love, and slowly start putting my own stamp on what is clearly an established garden, even if it has been a little bit neglected.The plan is to share a monthly “what’s growing in our garden” post so I can keep track of what … [Read more...]

Five Frugal Things we did this week {8th May 2026}….

45446Leave a Comment2026-05-08+10%3A21%3A48Cassandra May 8, 2026 By Cassandra
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Every week I share five frugal things that I've done during the previous week just to show you that the small things you do all add up to a great frugal lifestyle where you can learn to live a fabulously frugal life. Hey!1) This first one is one of those where I feel obliged to say (again) that saving money isn't about being 'tight' or about not buying the things you want to buy - it's simply about saving money where you can so you have more money to spend on the things you want to spend money on. Unfortunately, the 'Diary of a family who spend intentionally as they like … [Read more...]

Is Pet Insurance Worth It? A Detailed UK Guide (2026)….

45516Leave a Comment2026-05-08+09%3A54%3A17Cassandra May 8, 2026 By Cassandra
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When we had Buddy, I don’t think I fully appreciated how valuable pet insurance was until he reached his doggy golden years and suddenly the trips to the vets became a bit more regular. When he was younger, we hardly claimed at all beyond the odd check-up or medication, so like most people, I occasionally wondered whether it was worth paying for month after month. Then he got older and everything changed a bit. One appointment turned into follow-up appointments, then medication, then scans and treatment options that were far more expensive than I think we’d ever imagined when we first took … [Read more...]

Why we’re fitting a new shower door this weekend….

45512Leave a Comment2026-05-08+09%3A29%3A31Cassandra May 8, 2026 By Cassandra
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When we moved into our new house, one of the very first things we did was fit a shower in the main bathroom because somehow, there wasn’t actually a shower in there at all and that was a non-negotiable for us. 🚿At the time, we decided to save a bit of money and cut a corner by using a shower curtain instead of fitting a proper shower door straight away. It felt like one of those “that’ll do for now” jobs while we focused on everything else that comes with moving into a house that needs updating. Fast forward to this morning though, and the shower curtain pole has completely fallen … [Read more...]

Things I Forgot To Do When I Moved House (So You Don’t Have To)….

45419Leave a Comment2026-05-04+09%3A35%3A46Cassandra May 4, 2026 By Cassandra
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I like to think I’m quite an organised person. 😁 I make lists, I plan ahead and I’m generally on top of most things… I own a filofax so that makes me organised by default, right? Moving house humbled me though and showed me that I am not the organised person because I managed to forget some really obvious things! Not big dramatic things, just the kind of small, annoying jobs that you don’t think about until they come back and bite you in the bum later on. I completely forgot to tell most of my friends that we'd actually moved house and one friend who had obviously missed … [Read more...]