Well, I made the decision to do it this year. So the question now is, when. Looking at my crowded diary, the only time I can get 5 consecutive days where I can do it start TOMORROW!  Eek!

It hardly seems fair as the whole ethos of this site is to live on £1 a day, every day. So to make it more of a challenge, I set some rules.

I can only spend the allowance for 1 person, no rolling up more than 1 to be able to buy more variety.
I can only buy whole packages of things, no spoon of this or drizzle of that.
It must be reasonably healthy, no living on cheap stodge.
No getting produce or herbs free from the garden, foraged, or from friends.
No eating meals at friends houses either
No dipping in the store cupboard to help with flavourings
I’ve been thinking about what I would do if I did and this is what I’ve come up with. All priced using Asda.com

tin chopped tomatoes 39p
900g white cabbage 75p
220g carrots 33p (500g pack), 14p worth used, 280g leftover, 18p
460g onions 99p (1kg pack), 45p worth used, 540g leftover, 54p
1.5kg bag sr flour 70p
jar strawberry jam 39p
500g red lentils £1.29
500g cooking bacon £4.29 (1kg pack), 500g. leftover £2.15
Beautifully Buttery 250g 95p (500g pack) 250g leftover 47p
value soft cheese 200g 85p

£10.93 needed at the checkout
Total £7.58 of food used, £§.51 per day, over 5 days

with £5.49 leftover to carry forward to next week

What would you do with that?

I have worked out a menu plan that sounds workable
the pancakes are the ones like these here, like drop scones, not flat, crepe type ones

Day 1
Breakfast breakfast pancakes with 100g mixed veg in, 50g flour, 80g veg
Lunch 100g lentils and 200g veg soup
Dinner flour and 100g lentil dumplings, 100g Toms as sauce, whizzed with 100g veg

Day 2
Breakfast plain breakfast pancakes and jam
Lunch 200g mixed veg soup with dumplings and 100g bacon
Dinner flour and 100g lentil flatbread, 150g veg mixed into 30g soft cheese

Day 3
Breakfast plain breakfast pancakes with 100g mixed veg in, 30g soft cheese
Lunch 100g lentil and 200g veg soup
Dinner dumplings stuffed with 100g bacon, 100g tom sauce poured over

Day 4
Breakfast plain breakfast pancakes and jam
Lunch 200g mixed veg soup with dumplings and 100g bacon
Dinner scone based pizza, 100g of toms as sauce, 100g mixed veg and 30g soft cheese on top

Day 5
Breakfast plain breakfast pancakes and 100g bacon
Lunch leftover scone pizza
Dinner stew of 100g bacon, 200g veg, last 100g of toms, 30g soft cheese

And for hungry moments
Plain scone, jam, soft cheese 130g available
Nan and spread
Flat bread

I may roast some of the onions and carrots for extra flavour

I pushed it through my nutrition spreadsheet and it came out pretty good
10,186 calories in total, so just over 2000 a day
9.95 portions of veg a day, including the red lentils
12% protein – govt recommendation is 10-35%
18.73% fat – govt recommendation is 20-35%
68.41% carb – govt recommendation is 45-65%
22g fibre a day – govt recommendation – not sure, 25g for me I think

So a little carb heavy, but very good on the vegetable front, not bad on protein and low fat

It’s going to be a challenge sticking to the £5! I’ll let you know how I get on. I shall have to drive to Asda in Eastbourne tomorrow to pick up my supplies. Not a very efficient thing I know, and of course, if I really needed to live on £1 a day, it isn’t something I could do, I wouldn’t have that option.

I have had a look at the website and decided on ActionAid as the charity I will raise funds for. I shall be asking my WI friends to contribute, and anyone else I think I can get £1 or 2 from!

ActionAid is a child and community development charity based in the UK to help the world’s poorest people. This appeals to me as a worthwhile cause and they are doing some very good work.

Living Below the Line is a challenge for every person living in poverty. But, for women and girls it’s even harder.  That’s why ActionAid works with the most vulnerable women and girls, supporting them to give their families a better future.
Between 26 March and 25 June every penny we raise through the ActionAid Live Below the Line challenge will be matched by the UK government as part of our She Can appeal, meaning you can double the difference you make to women and girls living in poverty. – See more at: https://www.livebelowtheline.com/uk/partner/actionaid#sthash.KiK6Hes4.dpuf

I will be putting a Donate button on here in case anyone would like to donate to ActionAid via the Live Below the Line challenge. The link is Here. I  tried to make the link on the sidebar clickable, but haven’t worked out how to do it yet!