Christmas planning and budgeting Archives | The Diary of a Frugal Family

Why we’re planning a handmade Christmas….

34663Leave a Comment2019-11-07+10%3A00%3A10Cassandra November 7, 2019 By Cassandra
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For a couple of years, I've wanted to make a bit of a change to our family's Christmas celebrations - this year I'm finally doing it. Read on to find out why we're planning a handmade Christmas and what that looks like for us...Why we're making a change Usually, from about the middle of November, our lives start to go into overdrive with so much going on across everyone's lives that I get exhausted just thinking about it.There are all the usual Christmas school and work commitments, the fun Christmas days out, the gift choosing and shopping, the wrapping, the visiting, the Secret … [Read more...]

Have an organised Christmas with my amazing FREE Christmas planner printable….

266703 Comments2019-11-02+12%3A45%3A46Cassandra November 2, 2019 By Cassandra
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MY ABSOLUTELY FREE CHRISTMAS PLANNER PRINTABLE IS BACK FOR 2019 BY POPULAR DEMAND! (Five emails requesting it totally counts as popular demand, right?)Today I'm going to be super nice and help you to have an amazingly organised Christmas by sharing my amazing FREE Christmas planner printable with you...And yes, I completely get that we're only just into November but the idea of this planner is that you print it out now and start to get organised gradually. If I shared this planner much later then you'd probably (hopefully) be a good way through your planning at that point, … [Read more...]

Why I start preparing for Christmas in January….

January 8, 2019 By Cassandra
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OK, get your eye rolling out of the way before we start because, yes, today I'm going to tell you why I start preparing for Christmas in January.I totally get that it may seem silly that I start preparing for Christmas in January, but if you think about all of the discounted gift sets, deals and clearance items that practically every store has on their shelf and online, it’s a wonder why more people don't start preparing for Christmas in January.I've found that doing this every year has helped saved me a significant amount of money, so I wanted to share what I do with you all to … [Read more...]

Amazing 3 ingredient Kit Kat Fudge…

December 22, 2018 By Cassandra
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Kit Kat fudge is my new favourite thing!My 5 minute Nutella fudge recipe is one of my most popular posts - especially at this time of year so I thought I'd experiment with some other variations of homemade fudge. This amazing 3 ingredient Kit Kat fudge is right up there with the Nutella version so if you're looking for an idea for a homemade gift this year (or even just as a treat for you) then look no further! How to make this amazing 3 ingredient Kit Kat fudge325g chocolate chips (we like milk but dark would work better I would imagine if you want a richer taste) 397g tin of … [Read more...]

How to pick out the perfect real Christmas tree….

December 1, 2018 By Cassandra
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It's that time of year again when the kids are pestering to put up the decorations and you have to decide whether you're going to get the artificial tree down from the loft or whether you're going to go for a real tree this year! Last year, we went for the second option and it didn't work out as well as we'd hoped...For years, the kids have been after us to get a real tree rather than use our big 7ft artificial one (which I love) and we finally gave in last year and headed out to the local farm to buy a real Christmas Tree for the first time. We're not real tree experts so after a … [Read more...]

Why I DON’T Agree with ‘Presence not Presents’….

November 28, 2018 By Cassandra
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I really hate the phrase 'Presence not Presents' and today, I'm going to tell you why along with sharing my thoughts on the current trend of present-shaming!There's a lot of present-shaming going on around social media at the moment with more judging taking place than you see on the X-Factor and Strictly combined and today, I wanted to tell you just what I think about the number of presents that you choose to buy your children and the amount you decide to spend on those presents.You know, just because 99% of people of social media have an opinion about it and I don't like to feel … [Read more...]