January, So Far

We got off to a great start this year with the arrival of our first red squirrel to the feeding platforms.

The feral cats have been feeling much friendlier and we now have 3 of them coming close enough for furry-friend attention.

We have received numerous gifts and donations of pet food, peanuts, feeding boxes and even a new fairy to add to the fairy garden. Thank you to everyone who has sent gifts and items from our Amazon list.

January has also seen the arrival of a fifth cat, which has now been spotted on the trail cameras several times. 5 cats! It's getting to be like a cat sanctuary around here. 😹

Badgers are still active almost daily despite the torpor state that they are meant to enter during winter. 

The foxes and pine martens are also visiting regularly for their share of the tasty snacks we put out for them all.

We had a bit of damage done to the roadside fence - seen here after propping it up to keep ponies off the road. The vehicle was driven off, mess cleared up from road and no notifications given to us so it was like playing detective, putting bits of evidence together to work out how, when and by whom. Powers of deduction are great when you find bits of the vehicle with the make stamped on them. Police were notified, as was the nearby wind farm and an appeal for help that we sent out over our Facebook page was successful. Temporary repairs have been done but the damaged fence needs to be renewed. That's the next job.

Ginger has now gone into his 33rd year. His Cushing's seems to be fairly stable but as any horse person will know, there is no cure. Our ginger geriatric seems happy and is brought out every day for some extra feeding. On cold, wet days, he has his rain sheet as a little added protection from our Scottish winter weather.

The river well and truly burst its banks so the lower wetland turned into what looked like a loch. That will certainly have swept away any cobweb that ventured into 2026! Now it is time to start preparing for the real winter weather. 

We hope to get solar panels swapped around about and incorporate some more off-grid power so all three huts have lights and phone charging. There's also a plan to lease out the small hut. These ones looked like a bargain so I've included our affiliate link, just in case anyone else wanted to try similar. Now that our support group members are visiting to photograph wildlife, we thought it best to provide usb charging points for phones and a portable gas stove for making a cuppa during overnight vigils. 

We are still open to new members joining the Friends of Frugaldom support group, pricesstart from £5 per month.

Overnight parking for vehicles (max. 7.5m) costs £15 for 1 night, £25 for 2 nights or discounted for longer stays. Booking is advised as we have limited parking. Campervans and motorhomes welcome all year round as we are fully certificated by The Caledonian Touring Club. Waste facilities on site but no other services.

Welcome to 2026

This past week has been great for our visitors to Frugaldom. The weather stayed fine and dry with just one night of rain that helped replenish the water tanks.

The fox arrived to feast in some dog food - I bought a 12kg bag of complete dog food for under £10 from supermarket so that should last a good few weeks. The badgers occasionally crunch on these biscuits but they seem to be in a state of torpor in this freezing weather, although 4 were spotted by campervan visitors during the week.

The pine martens arrived as usual and are now settled and happy incorporating the new feeding platform into their nightly food patrol. Thanks once again to whoever sent us the new squirrel feeding boxes, which the pine martens happily feast from through the night.

Huge happy surprise to us was witnessing (and photographing) the first red squirrel to arrive at the new platform and snack on peanuts from the feeders. This was a rather monumous event as our long-term tree and hedge planting plans have all been geared towards providing new habitat for red squirrels. We are over the moon that the first one has arrived at the feeders.

This is the third small tortoiseshell butterfly to emerge inside the hut so I'm guessing the log burner is warming them up and waking them from hibernation.

And finally, this was the Wolf suoermoon riding over the Galloway Hills. It was quite a spectacle against the pink sky. It rise quickly and was soon followed by Jupiter. Appreciating nature more and more as the years go by and can't wait to share the wild space we call Frugaldom with more of you in 2026. We can accommodate any camping vehicle up to a maximum vehicle length of 7.5m and for a mere £25 you can stopover and enjoy getting back to nature for 2 nights. 

There is always a discount available for longer stays and we will be opening up hut 2 for visitors to enjoy whenever it is available. Overnight parking with all night access to the wildlife hut costs £50 for non-members. If you would like to join us as official Friends of Frugaldom, you can do so at www.ko-fi.com/Frugaldom 

Huge thanks to all our existing members, volunteers and those who send anonymous gifts to help us keep all the animals fed.

Happy New Year

From all the people, pets, ponies and goats at Frugaldom. Thank you for being part of this journey. All the very best for 2026.

Winter Garden Preparations

The herbery will be getting an overhaul to bring all the strawberries under control. There are numerous raised beds here, all constructed as one of our lockdown projects. Since then, the herbs and sedum have thrived but I haven't had enough time or energy to keep on top of the weeding, thinning and trimming. It is absolutely fabulous to see someone tackling this job, despite the sub-zero temperatures, so I'm looking forward to getting the strawberry and rhubarb beds mulched over and the others topped up with the composted pony manure.

Here are the beds that have been cut back today. The lungwort in the centre is actually flowering. The strawberry plants have never yet died back and have sent out runners in all directions so these will be left until spring then potted on for moving out to our Trading Post at the main gate. I'm still not sure what to plant in the spare beds here as I really don't use many herbs but this also becomes a butterfly and bee garden, so I may introduce some buddleias. There is a patch of rhubarb, which fairs quite well. I can already see it bubbling below the surface of the soil so that will get some straw over it when I'm putting it around the strawberry plants. Aside from that, I can't think of anything else suitable for growing in these herb beds. All suggestions welcome.

Let's Not Forget About Frugal Living

Let's not forget our roots. 

Frugaldom, after all, grew from the concept of frugal living to bring about the freedom to enjoy life. Every year we set ourselves goals and every year we challenge ourselves to overcome any problems and make the most of every opportunity. Frugal living isn't merely penny pinching without reason, it is about wise spending for specific reasons. It should never be mistaken for meanness. Living well within your means can free up income to save for other things and to help others but getting to grips with a new budget can be daunting. For those interested, you can join us in the Moneysavingexpert.com forums and take part in our annual frugal living challenge. Alternatively, you are welcome to just follow along.

2026 Plans

Put more effort into growing fruit & veg

Make better use of space

Strive to make projects cash neutral

Offer more opportunities to others

Stay within budget

Improve existing facilities

Implement a plan for retirement 

Win £1million

OK, so that last one is a bit of a stretch of the imagination but it isn't beyond the realms of possibility for anyone holding NS&I Premium Bonds. I'm a big PB fan, despite the negativity expressed by some money gurus. I also save spare change, use a regular saver account, don't have any private pensions and haven't the ability to fill an ISA because my income equates to less than half the 2026 national living wage. 😆 Back to the chance of winning big... If that really did happen, I think my first move would be to hire in help looking after the animals as I've found it almost impossible to find like-minded others who can afford the luxury of volunteering while also being prepared to take charge in my absence. It's 7 days a week all year, every year, so my plans also include trying to get some time away from the project.