In just under three weeks I'll be undertaking the below the line challenge. So far I've raised just under $500 for Oxfam, and quite frankly I am pretty proud of myself.
I talked about why I am doing this in my last post but I've also spent a lot of time thinking about the actual challenge itself, and how I need to prepare for it. For for those that have been with me over the years, you know that for me preparation is everything - might as well channel my OCD into something positive! As Benjamin Franklin once said "By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail", and who am I to argue with Ben F?
There some pretty explicit rules about the challenge. Taken from the challenge website...
__________________________
Here are the basics:
- From the 23rd – 27th of September you can spend no more than $2.25 a day on food and drink.
- This means you have a total of $11.25 with which to buy all ingredients for your meals.
- The full cost of all the items you consume must be included in your budget. This means budgeting for whole packets of food items such as rice, pasta, noodles and eggs etc.
- For items such as salt, pepper, herbs and spices, simply work out the cost of each item per gram and budget your shopping proportionally. Separate your items before the challenge so there’s no need to be digging around in your cupboards.
- You can share the cost of ingredients amongst a team, as long as no participant spends more than $2.25 a day or their total $11.25 budget. Working as a team will allow you to pool together funds and do more with your cooking.
- You can’t grab a cheeky snack from the cupboard unless you include the cost of buying the item new in your budget.
- You can use food sourced from your garden as long as you can account for the price of production!
- You cannot accept ‘donated’ food from family or friends, but monetary donations towards your fundraising goals are acceptable, and encouraged!
- You are allowed to drink tap water – remember you should try and drink at least 6-8 glasses of water each day.
__________________________
The key points for me are as follows:
- The money doesnt roll over. If I only spend $1.50 on day one, I can't then spend $3 the next day. This means you might as well get as close to the $2.25 as possible
- The cost of electricity/gas for cooking isnt included. This makes things easier, but its a reality check that those struggling every day DO have to take into account utility costs.
- Garden produce still has a cost. I'm actually limited in what I have available to me from my garden as we are at the end of winter. I have lemons and some silverbeet but not a lot else. Costing this is going to be tricky (the lemon trees were put in 5 years ago for example) but even though I'll err on the side of caution this really is going to be a lifesaver.
- Most importantly - I am allow to prepare and stock up on items I find cheaply now, and then use them during the challenge. This is incredibly important - but not something completely alien as I am bit of a hoarder anyways.
I've been keeping an eye out on what's on offer at supermarkets as I pass them and have managed to grab the following:
2x 500g Pasta at 99c a bag - total cost $1.98
4x 400 diced tomatoes at 79c a time - total cost $3.16
______________________
Wow. Reality just hit me. Four tins of tomatoes and a kilo of pasta - $5.14. That's nearly 50% of the entire budget gone already. But before I run off crying into my pillow lets how these two basic ingredients can be the centre of a week long diet
Recipe One - Penne Pasta with a tomato coulis with a colby cheese topping
Ingredients
125g Penne Pasta (25c)
200g chopped tomatoes (40c)
50g colby cheese, grated (45c)
1. Boil pasta until cooked
2. Stir through tomatoes
3. Serve. Add grated cheese.
Et voila!
Total cost: $1.10
OK so its pasta, tomatoes and cheese, and yes it was a little bland. But I didnt season it at all and now I've eaten, I'm full and I doubt I'll eat again today. So in theory that leaves me $1.15 to feel myself for earlier in the day. So now I just have to find out what that will be.
______________________
So what next? Well I need to price up some other basics and then work out what is left over. Bread is a obvious basic but, as with all perishables, I am are the mercy of random chance whether there will be any offers on bread the sunday before the challenge starts. Can I afford milk? Eggs? Fruit? Veggies?
I also need to think about the costing of the garden produce as well as working out how I will season everything. So much to think about!
And then we have to work out the other things *looks at the elephant* - how exactly will I prepare myself for no coffee for a week? Addiction is a terrible thing!
_________________________________
Next time...
Adding flavour - just how much does a pinch of mixed herbs cost?
Keen to Sponsor Me? https://www.livebelowtheline.com/me/breevok
here are the basics:
- From the 23rd – 27th of September you can spend no more than $2.25 a day on food and drink.
- This means you have a total of $11.25 with which to buy all ingredients for your meals.
- The full cost of all the items you consume must be included in your budget. This means budgeting for whole packets of food items such as rice, pasta, noodles and eggs etc.
- For items such as salt, pepper, herbs and spices, simply work out the cost of each item per gram and budget your shopping proportionally. Separate your items before the challenge so there’s no need to be digging around in your cupboards.
- You can share the cost of ingredients amongst a team, as long as no participant spends more than $2.25 a day or their total $11.25 budget. Working as a team will allow you to pool together funds and do more with your cooking.
- You can’t grab a cheeky snack from the cupboard unless you include the cost of buying the item new in your budget.
- You can use food sourced from your garden as long as you can account for the price of production!
- You cannot accept ‘donated’ food from family or friends, but monetary donations towards your fundraising goals are acceptable, and encouraged!
- You are allowed to drink tap water – remember you should try and drink at least 6-8 glasses of water each day.
here are the basics:
- From the 23rd – 27th of September you can spend no more than $2.25 a day on food and drink.
- This means you have a total of $11.25 with which to buy all ingredients for your meals.
- The full cost of all the items you consume must be included in your budget. This means budgeting for whole packets of food items such as rice, pasta, noodles and eggs etc.
- For items such as salt, pepper, herbs and spices, simply work out the cost of each item per gram and budget your shopping proportionally. Separate your items before the challenge so there’s no need to be digging around in your cupboards.
- You can share the cost of ingredients amongst a team, as long as no participant spends more than $2.25 a day or their total $11.25 budget. Working as a team will allow you to pool together funds and do more with your cooking.
- You can’t grab a cheeky snack from the cupboard unless you include the cost of buying the item new in your budget.
- You can use food sourced from your garden as long as you can account for the price of production!
- You cannot accept ‘donated’ food from family or friends, but monetary donations towards your fundraising goals are acceptable, and encouraged!
- You are allowed to drink tap water – remember you should try and drink at least 6-8 glasses of water each day.
here are the basics:
- From the 23rd – 27th of September you can spend no more than $2.25 a day on food and drink.
- This means you have a total of $11.25 with which to buy all ingredients for your meals.
- The full cost of all the items you consume must be included in your budget. This means budgeting for whole packets of food items such as rice, pasta, noodles and eggs etc.
- For items such as salt, pepper, herbs and spices, simply work out the cost of each item per gram and budget your shopping proportionally. Separate your items before the challenge so there’s no need to be digging around in your cupboards.
- You can share the cost of ingredients amongst a team, as long as no participant spends more than $2.25 a day or their total $11.25 budget. Working as a team will allow you to pool together funds and do more with your cooking.
- You can’t grab a cheeky snack from the cupboard unless you include the cost of buying the item new in your budget.
- You can use food sourced from your garden as long as you can account for the price of production!
- You cannot accept ‘donated’ food from family or friends, but monetary donations towards your fundraising goals are acceptable, and encouraged!
- You are allowed to drink tap water – remember you should try and drink at least 6-8 glasses of water each day.
No comments :
Post a Comment