anyone taking up the live below the line challenge?

raphanius · 13 April 2011 at 4:18PM

In todays mysupermarket email there was an appeal to get involved with the live below the (poverty) line challenge. the idea is to eat for less than £1 a day for 5 days to highlight the problem of food poverty in the UK. Its backed by christian aid and the salvation army. I know there are people on here already living on a low food budget and many below the poverty line but it may appeal to some to take part. there are some recipes on the site that could be useful. mysupermarket has done a suggested supermarket shelf of low priced goods. when i looked at mine most of the items had a star against them because they are regular purchases!

anyway heres the link so you can have a look for yourselves.

FatVonD · 13 April 2011 at 4:23PM

Is it £1 per person or per family?

rachbc · 13 April 2011 at 4:27PM

Yep, just signed up. FVD - its £1 per person per day to include all food and drink for that day including the full cost of all items for each meal - so no shopping from your cupboards or freezer and if you buy a pack of pasta you count the cost of the whole thing not just what you eat - so basically everything you eat in that 5 days for £5 but no individual day to exceed £1. We are doing it as a family for £20 (have allowed a quid each for the kids even though they eat less quantity)

Just starting my meal plan, will nick some ideas from weezls planner, especially for lunches as am stuggling with that a bit atm.

Alison_Funnell · 13 April 2011 at 6:05PM

I hadn't heard about that, thanks for the heads up.

My housekeeping budget is £1.50 per person per day and I find it quite easy at the moment, but cutting it down again I think will be ok but a little more thought is needed.

Lunches here are left overs from dinner re hashed, or sandwiches (marmite/egg/cheap ham/cheese), HM veg soup, beans on toast, eggy bread. Depending on if it's a weekend, at home, at work, out and about, cold, hot etc.

Porridge for breakfast, or convert it in to a muesli with some cheap mixed dried fruit and some cheap seeds/nuts. You can even make 'muesli' bars - flapjacks with extra oats added to the recipe and some dried fruit.

That's the mental juices flowing, off to find out more.

raphanius · 13 April 2011 at 6:21PM

If its £1 per day per person it sounds fairly easy to do a meal plan for 5 days (our allowance would be £15). a good exercise in budgeting and meal planning. the hard part is not going to the cupboards and cheating...so taping up the cupboard doors may be in order and using a plastic box for the challenge fresh/tinned/packet food, and similar boxes for fridge/freezer.

Alison_Funnell · 13 April 2011 at 6:36PM

Signed up.

jackieglasgow · 13 April 2011 at 6:41PM

I have signed up too, saw this in my emails this afternoon.

rachbc · 13 April 2011 at 7:37PM

Fab - am looking forward to sharing ideas and moral support on the way.

Just discussed with it OH and DS and they are on board - OH thinks it will be easy - DS knows it will be tough!

Breakfasts will be porridge with half milk and water and a little demerera. Will see if I can stretch to a carton or 2 of juice for 1 of 5 day each too.

Lunch will be soup (split pea and whatever veg is cheap) and hm rolls, hm rolls and pnb or cream cheese for kids, along with carrot sticks and some raisins/ fresh fruit for 2 of their 5 a day.

Just need to find another 2 of the 5 for eve meals and some decent protein and will be happy

ceridwen · 13 April 2011 at 7:59PM

For those brave enough to do this - see:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Gc9z5xWP5Y

- for ideas from peeps elsewhere who have done this challenge recently.

'Twas started in Australia in 2010 - and I was trying to link to the website as it was then - as it retailed off peeps progress on this and some recipes they used.

Maybes someone is better at googling than me and can find the blog type details that were there on the Australian site in 2010.

tessie_bear · 13 April 2011 at 8:22PM

thank uop...we are going to try this...excellent idea

happierdaystocome · 13 April 2011 at 8:28PM

Need to discuss with OH and the kids but I'd like to give it a go.

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

anyone taking up the live below the line challenge?

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