Three days to go until the start of my “Live Below The Line” challenge. That’s three more days (bearing in mind that I’ve just been paid, too) of not having to worry about how much I spend on food and drink – being able to go out to eat when I want, make full use of my kitchen cupboards and shop to my heart’s content.
As of Monday, to raise money for Health Poverty Action, I’ll be surviving on just £1 per day for five days – and that has to cover ALL of my food and drink. Oh, and I’ll have to knock the cigarettes on the head as well, as if I want any of those, they have to come from the same budget.
It’s hard to believe that around 1.4 billion people around the world live below the extreme poverty line, surviving on this small amount (or less) EVERY day of their lives. Five days is a walk in the park in comparison.
Obviously the main point of the challenge is for me to raise money for the charity (ahem…link to sponsor me is here if you’d be kind enough to contribute…), but the last week has really made me question the amount of money that I spend on something that I take for granted.
I’ve always been a lover of good food, and think nothing of spending what I’m sure a lot of people would consider an obscene amount on eating and drinking well. My recent focus on this campaign, though, appears to have rewired my brain to think in “33p per meal” terms.
The coffee I had this morning? £2.90 – the equivalent to almost six meals next week. I think nothing of spending a fiver on lunch – that’s FIVE DAYS’ WORTH of food. And don’t even get me started on the cigarettes (yes, yes, I know they’re bad for you…) – work colleagues and I worked out that each cigarette equates to about 33 pence. If I want to smoke even one cigarette in a day, that’s one meal gone already.
It’s going to be tough, I know that! It wouldn’t be much of a challenge otherwise. I’m not expecting to be eating for the pleasure of eating – I’ll purely be eating to live. I doubt I’ll be in a particularly great mood – especially because of the nicotine withdrawal aspect!
The benefits, however, more than outweigh the negatives. I’ll be raising as much money as I possibly can for the cause (sorry for pestering you, guys!). I’ll be raising awareness of the issue. And, on a more selfish note, I’m hoping that it’ll get me to stop smoking 😉
I’ll be blogging throughout the challenge, so keep checking back if you’re interested in seeing how I get on! Next up: starting the daunting task of working out how to spend my budget…
There’s still time to sponsor me! If you’d like to contribute to the cause – no matter how much or how little you can give – your support would be massively appreciated! Simply click on this link to visit my page on the Live Below The Line website and donate…thank you! 🙂