REMINDER: Today we are making raw apple cider vinegar. It's been quite some time since we picked our apples and the harvest, although not yet including much from the new orchard, was plentiful. Many apples were given to friends and relatives, many more were stewed for sauce, crumbles and pies and yet more were turned into jelly with a combination of foraged berries and blackcurrants. The remaining apples are stored in black bags outside, chilled by the good old Scottish, winter weather. 

MUDDY WELLIES WEEKENDS! Escape to the country this Autumn and take advantage of one of our great FRUGAL BREAKS. Official 'Friends of Frugaldom' members can benefit from additional discounts.

We're more than half way through February and despite the continuing winter weather, temperatures are starting to get above 6 Degrees C - this means the grass will begin growing and with that, everything else, too. It's time for me to plan the food gardens, prepare the growing spaces and  start sowing seeds!

What is the difference between a pullet egg and a hen egg?

2018 is going to be about concentrating on the little things to enable us to get more of the big things done! Like they say, if you take care of the pennies, then the pounds will take care of themselves. So, our first port of call is the chicken shack, where the Frugaldom hens reside. Last summer, we hatched out some chicks in the incubator - from a dozen eggs, we had 9 chicks but of those, only 8 survived the first 24 hours and 5 of them were cockerels!

Fine and sunny weather over the weekend allowed us all out to the field to play at den-building with the grand children. Work is always more of a game when it's fun and having the under 12's in charge of proceedings makes it interesting, to say the least!

Following a frugal regime during winter is never easy. It doesn't matter what anyone thinks or who agrees or disagrees with our lifestyle choices, it's always around February that we could happily crank up the heating and throw extra logs on the fire... or else pack up and head for warmer, drier climes!

The world, according to Frugaldom, is a complete package. We have all we need to create all that we want and if we break it, we have the wherewithal to fix it. Nothing is fake, everything is real - just take the time to look into this amazing frugal bubble that is our world. It's like the life of pie!

15 Years down the road and round the bend but not quite over the hill... Our satirical 'Woman Zone' columns first appeared in print in 1999. Those responsible for the rants, raves and ramblings included Shona Prophett, the Bishop, Rosemary, Eddie Elwood, Jordan, Millie May, Agnes and Senga... names that many of you may recognise and characters some of you met.

The cutest bantams available, in my opinion, are the tiny Pekins with their tiny stature, crazy antics, friendly pet attitudes and their big feathery feet. If you recall, we had 3 hatched between 6th and 7th May, so they are now just over six weeks old.

To date, the preliminary chats in the new room have proven to be most enjoyable, enlightening and entertaining. We all appreciate that typing errors can inadvertently be made and allowances should be made for this, mainly down to the fact that I wear out the letters on a key board quicker than I wear out shoes! Here goes with the weekly schedule; hopefully it will cater for your every need across the frugal spectrum.