Cassandra | The Diary of a Frugal Family

Christmas in New York – Insta vs Reality….

35280Leave a Comment2021-12-05+12%3A50%3A29Cassandra December 5, 2021 By Cassandra
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The year before last, I spent the week before Christmas in New York with Miss Frugal and had the best time! The reality was a bit different from the dream though so I thought I'd share the reality behind some of my photos. From the day I booked our Christmas in New York break everyone I told was been super jealous, telling me how much they'd love to visit New York at Christmas time and how magical it was going to be. I researched, I planned and I got so excited about it that I genuinely was like a kid on Christmas Eve waiting for Santa to visit! We knew it was going to be … [Read more...]

Are you giving cash this Christmas – Christmas Cash Envelopes {free printable}….

36658Leave a Comment2021-12-04+08%3A35%3A41Cassandra December 4, 2021 By Cassandra
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I hate giving cash as a gift as it feels so impersonal but this year, I do think I'll be giving a few gifts of cash which I plan to personalise a little bit with these super cute Christmas cash envelopes that I'm sharing today.I should say that I don't have too many people to buy for but I do have one or two people who I'll be giving some cash to as a gift so they can use the money to buy themselves a gift better than I would have picked out for them. Even Miss Frugal has asked me for money this year because she's saving hard for a holiday next year when life will hopefully be a … [Read more...]

Elf on a Shelf Secret Message {Free Printable Secret Code Game}….

36351Leave a Comment2021-12-03+18%3A50%3A09Cassandra December 3, 2021 By Cassandra
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This Elf on a Shelf secret message is exactly what you need to share a message from Santa with your little ones!Over the years, we've loved our annual visit from our Elf on the Shelf although our lovely little Jingle hasn't been as naughty over the last few years as the kids have got older and they've inevitably had less interest in his antics.And then last year poor Jingle met an unfortunate end when he met Monty, our cheeky puppy! I can't even tell you how traumatic it was to come home and find an arm in the hall, two legs in the kitchen and the rest of him in Monty's bed! … [Read more...]

Five Frugal Things we did this week {3rd December 2021}….

386651 Comment2021-12-03+08%3A00%3A14Cassandra December 3, 2021 By Cassandra
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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. Hey! 👐1) I've made a batch of candy cane spoons using some crushed candy canes ready for the kids Christmas Eve boxes this year. I have some cellophane bags that I'll pop them in ready to pop in the boxes with the usual snowman soup and reindeer dust because you're never too old for Christmas traditions like that.This batch didn't turn out as … [Read more...]

This month’s pre-loved bargains {December 2021}….

38534Leave a Comment2021-12-02+10%3A00%3A11Cassandra December 2, 2021 By Cassandra
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You all know that I love a good pre-loved bargain, whether it's from a charity shop, the car boot sale or even from somewhere online and this is my monthly post to share some of my bargains with you!I know I say this pretty much every month but I genuinely love buying second-hand (here are 8 reasons why I think buying second-hand clothes is the future) and this month's little haul has made me super happy as usual as I got lots of great bargains!The picture of this first top really doesn't do it justice at all! It's black, glittery, super soft, has amazing sleeves and cost £1.49!! … [Read more...]

Homemade Christmas Room Spray….

36742Leave a CommentHomemade+Christmas+Room+Spray....2021-12-01+10%3A00%3A51Cassandra December 1, 2021 By Cassandra
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Today, I'm sharing my homemade Christmas room spray recipe (is it called a recipe if you're not going to eat it?) and I'm pretty sure you're going to love it as much as I do!I love the smell of Christmas - and there are some smells that I always associate with this time of year. Cinnamon, peppermint and oranges are the main ones for me but I know lots of you will have your own thoughts on what smell reminds you of Christmas.I've tried to incorporate my favourite smells into my homemade Christmas room spray blends below so I really hope you like them as much as I do. Basic … [Read more...]