Every week I share five frugal things that I've done during that 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.Before I start though, I do want to say that being frugal to me is about getting the best value for our money - it's not about doing without for us or about not having nice things. We all have different financial situations and we're all frugal for different reasons - we're frugal so we can afford to do nice things together.1) It was Miss Frugal's 16th Birthday last Sunday and … [Read more...]
A (belated) back to school barbecue….
Every year since the kids started school we've had a bit of a celebration on the Friday evening of their first week back at school.It started because they were both always so grumpy and tired by the end of their first week back and we wanted to basically take their mind off their moodiness until bedtime and a movie night with popcorn and treats used to be the perfect solution. The movie night morphed into a games night as they got older and it got harder to agree on a film and then changed again into a nice family meal over the last couple of years.This year we were planning a family … [Read more...]
Ten ways to reduce food waste NOW….
I first published this post five years ago but when I sat down tonight to write a whole new post about how to reduce food waste, it felt a bit like deja vu and then I remembered this post and thought it would be easier just to give that a polish up and and share it again rather than write a whole new post!We all know that we shouldn't waste food, don't we?But are we all actively taking steps to make sure that we don't actually do it?In the UK alone we throw away about 15 million tonnes of food waste a year and just in case you've never really thought about it before, you're not … [Read more...]
How to get your dream holiday….
We've had some fantastic holidays over the last few years and when I share my photos or tell people what we've been up to I often get comments like 'I'm so jealous' or 'I wish I could go there'.But the thing is, it absolutely could be you going on the same sorts of holidays as us. It may not be a holiday you can book for a couple of months time or even next year but if you really set your mind to something then it's often more achievable than you think.So, if you have a particular idea for a holiday in your mind, and you are not sure if you will be able to achieve it and make it … [Read more...]
Five simple ways to save money when you spend money….
To me, being frugal isn't just about not spending money.It's about making sure that when I do spend money, I get the best possible deal. This might mean finding the cheapest price or it might mean getting paying a little bit more for a good reason, a better quality item for example.As a frugal parent who's also reading this blog, I'm guessing you're always on the lookout for ways to save money on behalf of your family because let's face it - the more money you save, the better your family finances will look. You've probably already checked that you're on the best deal for all your … [Read more...]
Is it too soon to book next year’s holiday?
We had some brilliant holidays abroad together over the last few years and have been lucky enough to find some amazing deals where we've been able to tag a day or so off school on to the end of a weekend and combined with a teacher training day. Our biggest bargain was last year's four-night stay in Milan which was £440 including flights in a 4* hotel for all four of us!Next year, we're going to be restricted to the Summer holidays for our family holiday which that means that we're going to be paying a fair amount for our Summer Holiday! Because of that, I'm thinking about booking our … [Read more...]
