One week today the Live Below The Line challenge begins!!!
And for those of you who are like me and slightly worried about whether you have the creativity and knowledge to eat adequately on just £1 a day. Or wonder how you are going to raise both awareness and funds for your chosen charity, I have compiled a list of TOP TEN TIPS to help you (and me) take on the challenge!
First a recap …
What is Live Below The Line & Why Do It?
Live Below the Line is an innovative awareness and fundraising campaign by the Global Poverty Project that challenges people to live on £1 a day for 5 days.
It is important because 1.4 billion people worldwide are currently living on just that and tonight 900 million people will go to bed hungry – this inexplicable injustice needs to be shouted about and charities like CARE international and initiatives like lendwithcare.org need support to keep on tackling such unfair poverty.
So with much ado here are my TOP TEN TIPS:
- Use the Live Below The Line recipe book https://www.livebelowtheline.com/uk-guidance. These recipe ideas actually look pretty tasty and the costings are all done for you. I for one will be trying the chapatti jam pancakes!
- Plan. If you are anything like me you probably think about what you are going to eat five minute before you go and buy it – this will not do! Not only will a meal plan ensure you have enough money to eat sensibly the whole week but it will also make you realise just how time consuming it can be working out what/how to eat with so little money. The Live Below The Line team has come up with some fab examples here https://www.livebelowtheline.com/uk-guidance
- Avoid eating meat. Meat piles on the pennies and comes with an environmental cost so why not give it a miss for a week.
- Drink a lot of water. This can keep hunger at bay as well as remind you how lucky we are to have access to clean, drinkable water every day.
- Make things from scratch & save money – bread, pizza bases, sauces (bear in mind you need time to prepare these)
- Get your friends involved & raise money. I will definitely be organising a Dine Below The Line night for me and my friends. Ask guests to donate the money they would have spent if you had gone out for a curry/pizza https://www.livebelowtheline.com/uk-dine
- Bring the challenge to work lunchtimes. Ask people to bring a dish that they have prepared for £1 or less and see who shows the most creative flair in the kitchen. More ideas for lunchtimes can be found here https://www.livebelowtheline.com/uk-guidance
- Donate what you would normally spend on coffee in a week to the challenge & boost your fundraising figure.
- Organise a £1 cake sale https://www.livebelowtheline.com/uk-guidance
- Shout (and moan) about what you are doing & encourage friends/family/colleagues to donate and help you spread the word. There are lots of ways to do this using social media & LBTL has prepared some great, ready-to-use resources https://www.livebelowtheline.com/uk-guidance
By Nancy Thomas, Lendwithcare.org Executive
The variety of foods can be extended while still keeping within budget of £1 per day by shopping late when foods on 'sell-by' date limit are reduced to an absolute minimum. These can be either cooked and consumed straight away or cooked and frozen for another day. Own brand foods are often & advantageously priced.
ReplyDeletePorridge oats are cheap, nutricious & versatile -mix with dried fruit to make muesli, with fish, or use to make biscuits.