Live Below The Line Challenge

After following the most wonderful blog of Jack Monroe, the young single parent who was forced to bring her son up on a very tight food budget, I felt motivated to join in with the "Live Below The Line" challenge.

**Be sure to read her very first, thought provoking, post HERE.

So, what's the challenge all about I hear you ask?  Well, basically, you have to feed yourself for just £1.00 per day - that's it - £1.00 to feed yourself breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Here is the website if you would like more details, or even better if you would like to join in yourself.
https://www.livebelowtheline.com/uk

As I have a pretty quiet social week ahead (I really am an out and about kinda girl you know) I thought this week would be ideal.  Except for Wednesday evening when I am booked to go to Bollywood Night in Carlisle, I will take that meal and add it onto the end of the challenge.

I took myself off shopping.  I have to be completely honest and say I was mildly embarrassed to have a basket full of yellow label basics food.  Not sure why I would be, I guess I just thought everyone would be judging me on my food choices.  Didn't realise I was such a food snob!

I also found myself having to make choices that I wouldn't normally dream of - like white rice and white pasta, we always get brown and wholemeal.  White pitta breads too, we NEVER eat white bread. I did manage to get a loaf of brown bread for breakfasts though.  I think the lack of lots of veggies and salad is going to hurt this week.

Reading the rules you are supposed to spend just £5.00, I managed to spend £6.97, but I don't envisage using all of that food.  I did have to spend a little of the budget on mixed herbs and chilli powder as I cannot look forward to having bland food all week, and buy some spread for my morning toast.

I got:

• 1kg White Rice - 40p
• 500g White Pasta - 30p
• Loaf Brown Bread - 60p
• Pack of 5 Pitta Bread - 22p
• Tub Cottage Cheese - 59p
• Vegetable Spread - 70p
• Jar (ready made) Curry Sauce - 18p
• Jar Orange Marmalade - 29p
• Tin of Potatoes - 19p
• Tin of Marrowfat Peas - 21p
• Tin of Tomatoes - 31p
• Tin of Mixed Beans - 50p
• Chilli Powder - 58p
• Mixed Herbs - 29p
• 1 Baking Potato - 43p
• 2 Packs of prepared Butternut Squash - 50p (in the reduced section)
• Bag of carrots - 45p (in the reduced section)
• Bag of prepared Leeks  - 25p (in the reduced section)

Grand total - £6.97

Oh, there is also a box of teabags in that photo, I bought these the week before at the grand old price of 10p a box (as they have love heart tags on). I will count them into my budget as I go - but I will really have to limit the amount of tea I drink as I can get through a good amount of tea bags in a day usually.

Being vegetarian I will certainly not miss having meat products, but I will miss cheese and eggs.  I very nearly bought eggs, but my budget would have only allowed the very cheapest from caged hens and I wasn't prepared to buy those.  Eggs, I will have to do without.

If I had been allowed to spend, say £10, I could have bought so much more to do loads more with - like lentils, chickpeas, flour etc....  I think then that sticking to £1.00 a day would be much easier as the variety would have helped, but anyway, let's see what we can make with this little lot.

If you would like to sponsor me, I only have my target set as a reasonable £100 and every little donation helps, you can find me and more details on how to make a donation HERE.

I bet you have already guessed then, that mainly this week I will be blogging about food  ;)