Here I am at the end of my eighth day of Live Below The Line, and today I have been joined by hundreds of others around the world who are taking part in the official Live Below The Line challenge week (7th-11th May).
I am excited to hear more about how people are doing with the challenge, and all the inventive ways in which people are making that £1 stretch a bit further. I’ve already read of people who have grown their own veggies, or own some chickens and have an endless supply of eggs. I have read about people stocking up on flour, eggs, milk, and other baking ingredients in order to bake themselves through the below the line challenge. Anything to make that £1 last.
Dinner on day 8: Roast vegetables with pasta (39p)Something about Live Below The Line that struck me last year, and continues to be on my mind during this year’s challenge, is the fact that the equivalent of £1 is what people have to live on, not just for food and drink, but for everything! While I sit here in my warm house, with my clean, running water, connecting to people across the world through my computer, with a job to go to tomorrow, I am acutely aware of just how much perspective this challenge gives you. If you find it hard simply feeding yourself for under £1, how much more difficult must it be to make that money provide a roof over your head, a bed to sleep in at night, clothes to wear, shoes on your feet, and food to sustain you through till the next day of struggle. Most of the people who live in extreme poverty are there through no fault of their own. For many it’s a mere accident of latitude. Why should your chances of living a life out of poverty rely simply on where and to whom you were born?
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