In May, inspired by Liveotherwise, I intend to attempt to live “below the line” by spending no more than £1 on day on food and drink, in consideration of the 1.4 billion people worldwide who live on this or less.
As a bit of a food snob, living with a fussy bloke and a (will be) eighteen month old, it could be an interesting challenge.
We’re already fairly thrifty with food in some senses, in that we always buy in bulk where it works out more cost effective. That is, of course, a money saving strategy only open to those who can lay out (say) eight times the cost for ten times the volume. I preferentially shop at the market in Bradford rather than at the supermarket – for meat and veg at least. Having bought fruit, veg and meat at the market, though, makes my supermarket trolley look particularly unhealthy1 I calculate the cost of different options before I make a decision, since so many “special offers” or “bigger pack better value” statements are actually complete tosh. However I always prioritise quality over perceived monetary “value” – I’d prefer to spend £2 on something I’ll enjoy, rather than £0.75 on something salty, nasty or artificial.
However, as much as we go for the best value options available to us, we tend to have steak at least once a week, and have clear preferences for which cut we like best (we both have different ones). We make everything from scratch. We have two big shelves full of herbs and spices, including two types of cardamom pod and three types of mustard seed. Reserves like that are probably quite pricey – the question is whether I’ll be allowed to use them during my five days!
Closer to the time I will finalise my “rules” that I decide on for the week.
Fancy joining me in the challenge? Or at least in thinking about it?
As well as having not decided on what my “rules” will be, I’ve also not decided about what to do for the fundraising aspect – I may just personally donate my “saved” money for the week, rather than attempting to fundraise money out of friends, family & followers too. Though you are of course free to donate to one (or more) of the project partners directly as well.