The Diary of a Frugal Family https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk Living a Fabulously Frugal Family Life Sat, 20 Jun 2026 20:03:27 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 54642740 This month’s pre-loved finds {June 2026}…. https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/this-months-pre-loved-finds-june-26/ https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/this-months-pre-loved-finds-june-26/#respond Sun, 21 Jun 2026 10:00:42 +0000 https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/?p=45760 Welcome to my monthly pre-loved bargain post, which is always one of my favourite posts to write. 😀 There’s something so satisfying about finding something you genuinely need or love second-hand, especially when it costs a fraction of what it would have done new. This month’s finds are a real mixture of practical purchases, home […]

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]]> https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/this-months-pre-loved-finds-june-26/feed/ 0 45760 The benefits of eSIM plans for frequent flyers…. https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/the-benefits-of-esim-plans-for-frequent-flyers/ https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/the-benefits-of-esim-plans-for-frequent-flyers/#respond Sat, 20 Jun 2026 20:03:27 +0000 https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/?p=45780 Anyone who travels regularly will know the faff of trying to sort your phone out when you land in a new country. You either risk using your normal roaming and hope the bill is not horrifying when you get home, or you start hunting for a local SIM card before you have even made it […]

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]]> https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/the-benefits-of-esim-plans-for-frequent-flyers/feed/ 0 45780 Why I complain (and why I also make a point of praising good service)…. https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/why-i-complain-and-why-i-also-make-a-point-of-praising-good-service/ https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/why-i-complain-and-why-i-also-make-a-point-of-praising-good-service/#respond Wed, 17 Jun 2026 11:59:25 +0000 https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/?p=45647 I know some people hate complaining and would rather quietly grumble to themselves, write the money off and move on with their life than actually challenge a company when something goes wrong. Honestly, I’m not naturally someone who enjoys confrontation either – I promise that I don’t wake up in the morning hoping for an […]

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]]> https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/why-i-complain-and-why-i-also-make-a-point-of-praising-good-service/feed/ 0 45647 Why I still think camping in the UK is one of the best family holidays…. https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/why-camping-in-the-uk-makes-an-amazing-family-holiday/ https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/why-camping-in-the-uk-makes-an-amazing-family-holiday/#respond Mon, 15 Jun 2026 20:26:52 +0000 https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/?p=41823 I was scrolling through some old photos the other day and came across pictures from one of our camping trips to Ullswater when the kids were younger. Looking at them made me realise just how many of my favourite family memories involve a tent, a camping stove and at least one day where it rained […]

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]]> https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/why-camping-in-the-uk-makes-an-amazing-family-holiday/feed/ 0 41823 Why losing weight felt easier when I had a deadline…. https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/why-losing-weight-felt-easier-when-i-had-a-deadline/ https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/why-losing-weight-felt-easier-when-i-had-a-deadline/#respond Mon, 15 Jun 2026 19:54:10 +0000 https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/?p=45744 When I was trying to lose weight before my operation earlier this year, I felt more motivated than I had in ages. I knew that every pound I lost could help make surgery safer and recovery easier, so I had a very clear goal in mind. Every healthy meal and every walk felt like it […]

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]]> https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/why-losing-weight-felt-easier-when-i-had-a-deadline/feed/ 0 45744 What we’re eating the week before Pay Day…. https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/what-were-eatingweek-before-payday/ https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/what-were-eatingweek-before-payday/#respond Mon, 15 Jun 2026 10:06:50 +0000 https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/?p=45734 The week before payday is always the week that I try to work my way through the freezer and cupboards to use up some of the things we already have in. Years ago, I started doing it out of necessity because money was often a bit tight by the time we reached the end of […]

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]]> https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/what-were-eatingweek-before-payday/feed/ 0 45734 Homemade Febreze for under 20p a bottle…. https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/thriftythursday-homemade-febreze-20p-bottle/ https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/thriftythursday-homemade-febreze-20p-bottle/#comments Sat, 13 Jun 2026 16:00:38 +0000 http://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/?p=16962 I’ve been making my own homemade Febreze for years now and it still makes regular appearances in my weekly “Five Little Things That Saved Me Money This Week” posts. I realised recently though that the original post I wrote about it is well overdue an update, so I thought I’d dust it off, give it […]

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]]> https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/thriftythursday-homemade-febreze-20p-bottle/feed/ 20 16962 How to dress for every occasion this summer without spending a lot… https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/how-to-dress-for-every-occasion-this-summer-without-spending-a-lot/ https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/how-to-dress-for-every-occasion-this-summer-without-spending-a-lot/#respond Thu, 11 Jun 2026 20:33:26 +0000 https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/?p=45725 Every year, summer seems to arrive all at once… One minute I’m still wearing jumpers and convincing myself that I don’t need to put the heating on, and the next my diary is filling up with days out, family get-togethers, barbecues and all the other things that seem to happen when the sun finally decides […]

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]]> https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/how-to-dress-for-every-occasion-this-summer-without-spending-a-lot/feed/ 0 45725 7 Ways a Garden Pod Cuts Household Costs…. https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/7-ways-a-garden-pod-cuts-household-costs/ https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/7-ways-a-garden-pod-cuts-household-costs/#respond Thu, 11 Jun 2026 19:13:45 +0000 https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/?p=45720 When we moved into our house earlier this year, we quickly discovered that there was no shortage of things we could spend money on.  Every room seems to come with its own to-do list and we’re constantly weighing up what jobs are worth doing, what can wait and what will actually make a difference to […]

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]]> https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/7-ways-a-garden-pod-cuts-household-costs/feed/ 0 45720 What’s growing in my garden {June 2026}…. https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/whats-growing-in-my-garden-june-2026/ https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/whats-growing-in-my-garden-june-2026/#comments Wed, 10 Jun 2026 11:33:31 +0000 https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/?p=45694 Has summer been and gone already? 😁 We’ve had some gorgeous weather over the last few weeks and it’s inspired us to spend much more time out in the garden. We’ve been trying our best to make it look as lovely as possible, despite both of us being complete novice gardeners, but we’ve also spent […]

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]]> https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/whats-growing-in-my-garden-june-2026/feed/ 2 45694 Our moving day nightmare…. https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/moving-day-nightmare/ https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/moving-day-nightmare/#respond Mon, 08 Jun 2026 09:24:20 +0000 https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/?p=45499 Did you see my post a couple of weeks ago about how everything that could go wrong when we were selling our house did go wrong? Well today I thought I’d share our moving day story, because it went about as smoothly as you would expect based on our house move journey up until that […]

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]]> https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/moving-day-nightmare/feed/ 0 45499 Starting dapagliflozin – the reality (after reading all the horror stories)…. https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/starting-dapagliflozin-the-reality-after-reading-all-the-horror-stories/ https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/starting-dapagliflozin-the-reality-after-reading-all-the-horror-stories/#comments Sun, 07 Jun 2026 10:05:31 +0000 https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/?p=45401 (This is another one of those posts that is probably only interesting if you’re diabetic or know someone who is so I won’t take offence if you click that little X in the corner – non-diabetic content will be back tomorrow 😁) When I was first told I’d be starting Dapagliflozin for my diabetes, I […]

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]]> https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/starting-dapagliflozin-the-reality-after-reading-all-the-horror-stories/feed/ 1 45401 All the ways I’ve been ‘influenced’ lately…. https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/all-the-ways-ive-been-influenced-lately/ https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/all-the-ways-ive-been-influenced-lately/#respond Wed, 03 Jun 2026 07:52:22 +0000 https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/?p=45458 I’d love to tell you that I’m completely immune to being influenced by social media but apparently that’s absolutely not the case. 😂 I think being off work for a while probably hasn’t helped either because I’ve definitely had more time for scrolling lately and social media is very good at making you think you […]

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]]> https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/all-the-ways-ive-been-influenced-lately/feed/ 0 45458 Four BIG things that went wrong when we were selling our house…. https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/four-big-things-that-went-wrong-when-we-were-selling-our-house/ https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/four-big-things-that-went-wrong-when-we-were-selling-our-house/#comments Mon, 01 Jun 2026 09:15:38 +0000 https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/?p=45496 We accepted an offer on our house in August 2025 but didn’t actually move until the end of February 2026, which is seven months. Even by UK standards, that’s a long time. It was a really stressful few months because at various points it genuinely felt like it could fall through at any moment. We […]

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]]> https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/four-big-things-that-went-wrong-when-we-were-selling-our-house/feed/ 1 45496 {Pre-Loved} The Most Exciting Thing In Our House Right Now Is…. https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/pre-loved-the-most-exciting-thing-in-our-house-right-now-is/ https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/pre-loved-the-most-exciting-thing-in-our-house-right-now-is/#respond Sun, 31 May 2026 11:13:47 +0000 https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/?p=45521 …. A Filing Cabinet! I know. Younger me would be absolutely horrified at what now passes as excitement in my life, but honestly, I’m obsessed with our new pre-loved filing cabinet and the level of organisation that this brings into our lives. There are some things in our new house that my partner has really […]

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]]> https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/pre-loved-the-most-exciting-thing-in-our-house-right-now-is/feed/ 0 45521 10 ways to keep cool on a budget…. https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/10-ways-to-keep-cool-on-a-budget/ https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/10-ways-to-keep-cool-on-a-budget/#comments Mon, 25 May 2026 13:26:31 +0000 https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/?p=28621 I originally published this post a few years ago but with the heatwave we’re having at the moment and the fact that our new house seems to hold heat like an actual greenhouse, I’ve found myself coming back to it and looking for every possible way to keep cool again. 😂 Our old Victorian house […]

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]]> https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/10-ways-to-keep-cool-on-a-budget/feed/ 3 28621 I Got a Pie Maker for Free… Sort Of… https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/i-got-a-pie-maker-for-free-sort-of/ https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/i-got-a-pie-maker-for-free-sort-of/#respond Mon, 25 May 2026 09:23:40 +0000 https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/?p=45465 One of my friends popped round for a catch up a couple of weeks ago and it was the first time they’d been since we moved house so they got the obligatory tour of the house, ending in the kitchen where we put the kettle on and chatted while we waited for it to boil. […]

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]]> https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/i-got-a-pie-maker-for-free-sort-of/feed/ 0 45465 My much-needed refresh day…. https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/my-much-needed-refresh-day/ https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/my-much-needed-refresh-day/#comments Sun, 24 May 2026 19:44:47 +0000 https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/?p=45660 Since going back to work, I feel like I’ve been permanently just a little bit behind with life. Not in a dramatic way where the house is falling apart around us or we’re surviving on takeaway every night 😂 but more in the way where all the little jobs that normally make life feel calmer […]

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]]> https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/my-much-needed-refresh-day/feed/ 1 45660 Understanding HbA1c vs blood glucose (and why they’re not the same thing)…. https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/understanding-hba1c-vs-blood-glucose-and-why-theyre-not-the-same-thing/ https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/understanding-hba1c-vs-blood-glucose-and-why-theyre-not-the-same-thing/#respond Sun, 24 May 2026 09:54:06 +0000 https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/?p=45342 First up, I get that this is a post that’s probably only useful to you if you’re diabetic so please feel free to move on if you’re not diabetic 😁 But if you are and you’re struggling to understanding the difference between your HbA1c and your finger prick testing then this could be a pretty helpful […]

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]]> https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/understanding-hba1c-vs-blood-glucose-and-why-theyre-not-the-same-thing/feed/ 0 45342 A Pre-loved home office {on a budget}…. https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/a-pre-loved-home-office-on-a-budget/ Wed, 20 May 2026 10:58:58 +0000 https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/?p=45560 For the first time ever, I have an actual office at home. In our old house, my “office” was basically just a corner of the dining room and honestly, I didn’t mind it at all.  I loved being downstairs in the middle of everything. I worked long hours back then and quite often ended up […]

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