I’ve decided to reattempt the Live Below The Line challenge, taking on board my previous experience of white rice and lack of protein, and advice and comments from readers.
The challenge is open until June – so I thought a second attempt would be an opportunity to raise additional funding for Oxfam, as well as awareness about poverty and food poverty in the UK.
Since my explosion across the national media, the most common criticism I have received is that ‘it just isn’t possible’ – as though a year of living on a stringent budget is not evidence enough that it is.
Anyway – for the next seven days, I will be closing up my store cupboard again, shelving the fancy spices that Schwartz so generously sent me, and creating a minimum of 21 meals from the following items:
4 fruit yogurts, 33p
Wholemeal loaf, 22 slices, 50p
5 peaches, 30p (reduced from £2)
1kg frozen mixed veg, 75p
2 apples, 41p
1 baking potato, 24p
1 courgette, 22p
400g kidney beans, 21p
411g lemon curd, 22p
400g chopped tomatoes, 31p
10 beef stock cubes, 15p
Sage and onion stuffing, 15p
1kg rice, 40p
Total spend: £4.85
As before, I will be documenting the days on my online blog under the category “Live Below The Line 2013”.
I am doing the challenge for seven days – as most people do a ‘weekly’ food shop – I never understood the five day part of the Live Below The Line challenge!
To donate to Live Below The Line, a global poverty project, click here: https://www.livebelowtheline.com/me/agirlcalledjack
If you are taking part in this years Live Below The Line challenge and want to share your experience, get in touch at jackmonroe@live.co.uk
Jack Monroe. Twitter: @MsJackMonroe