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

What is Telegram and how does it work?

45408Leave a Comment2026-04-29+15%3A48%3A53Cassandra April 29, 2026 By Cassandra
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If you’ve heard people mention Telegram and wondered whether it’s just another version of WhatsApp, you’re definitely not the only one. It feels like there’s always a new app doing the rounds, and most of the time I’m quite happy to ignore them because I don’t need another place to keep up with messages. That said, Telegram has quietly built up a huge global following and, while it’s not quite as mainstream here in the UK, it does offer a few things that make it worth understanding. In fact, depending on how you use it, it can actually be a really handy little tool — especially if you’re … [Read more...]

{Iceland Diaries} A cheaper alternative to the Blue Lagoon…

April 29, 2026 By Cassandra
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People often ask me how we can afford to travel as we do and I always say that it's because we shop around for great deals and when we go, we have a strict budget to stick to which means being super clever with what we do when we're on holiday and how we do it. This post is an example of how we use our budget wisely...When most people plan a trip to Iceland, the Blue Lagoon is usually top of their list, and why wouldn't it be. It's one of Iceland's most famous attractions with it's milky-blue water, luxury spa vibes, and Instagram-perfect photos. It was definitely the top of our … [Read more...]

How we’re overpaying our mortgage EVERY month without paying anything….

45314Leave a Comment2026-04-28+11%3A08%3A00Cassandra April 28, 2026 By Cassandra
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Did I mention that we moved house? 😁😁😁And as much as we were excited to move, it's never fun to think about taking on the commitment of a whole new mortgage. We want to pay our mortgage off as soon as we can so we're doing a few things to make sure that there are regular over-payments to reduce the balance because every over-payment that we make not only reduces the mortgage by that amount, it also reduces the amount of interest that you pay overall and will ultimately reduce the term of the mortgage. I'm going to tell you about one of the … [Read more...]

Our Victorian Fireplace Makeover….

45280Leave a CommentOur+Victorian+Fireplace+Makeover....2026-04-27+14%3A31%3A10Cassandra April 27, 2026 By Cassandra
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Today, you're going to see my favourite makeover so far in our new house - our original Victorian Fireplace.When we moved house at the end of February, I was off work unwell and awaiting an operation so despite having the biggest plans for our new house, I could only manage the smaller jobs which I found so frustrating as you can imagine. The fireplace was my first project and I thoroughly enjoyed taking my time, making it look exactly as I wanted it to look while my poor partner was tasked with the bigger jobs in the room like getting rid of the giant emerald green strip … [Read more...]

6 simple things I do before bed to make mornings easier….

1587740 Comments2026-04-26+09%3A10%3A11Cassandra April 26, 2026 By Cassandra
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What would you say if I told you that just doing a few things before you go to bed can make mornings easier? I've perfected my night time routine so I thought I'd share some of the quick and easy things I do before I go to bed which make the next morning easier.Do you know that it’s an actual scientific* fact that if you spend ten minutes before you go to bed getting ready for the next day then the following morning will be at least ten times easier? (OK, it may not be scientific but it really helps me and I just read a book about science* so humour me and we’ll call it a … [Read more...]

This month’s pre-loved bargains {April 2026}….

45362Leave a Comment2026-04-25+15%3A57%3A36Cassandra April 25, 2026 By Cassandra
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Welcome to my monthly pre-loved bargain post - one of my favourite things to write because it gives me an excuse to share the second-hand treasures I’ve brought home lately. 😀 I said at the start of the year that I really want to take my love of pre-loved shopping to the next level. I knew we'd be moving house in the first few months of the year and was looking forward to searching out things that would look great in our house but I also wanted to take it a step further and buy things that I could resell for a profit as well as some things that could do with a bit of love so I can try … [Read more...]