Live below the line

We don't do much charity stuff on Crumbs. Which isn't because we're mean and heartless, honest. It's because there doesn't seem to be much charity stuff specifically about  food. We're very niche, see? If it isn't food related we don't do it. Limbless orphans and homeless donkeys don't get a look in on this blog, unless we're feeling peckish.
So I was pleased to hear about Live Below the Line. It's a food related charity event, and the idea is that individuals and communities commit to spend just £1 a day on their food, for five days. It is to recognise the hardship which the 1.4 billion people who live in extreme poverty face everyday.
The exercise doesn't just encourage empathy. The money you save on food can be donated to any of the charities supporting the campaign, such as Health Poverty Action, Unicef or VSO. Or you can get people to sponsor you and then donate that to charity.
So we at Crumbs have signed up. The campaign starts on May 7th but because we are super-keen we did it last week. Well sort of. We lived according to the below menu plan, but by Thursday we'd been out for a few too many lunches/dinners to get in on budget, so we're going to start it again on the 7th and reduce our social life.
In the meantime, if you're thinking about doing it (very good for the meal-planning part of your brain, as well as the charitable benefits), the menu plan below comes in on budget, almost. I'm going to have to whittle it down for the real thing, perhaps by losing the cheese. Gulp. You'll also notice that puddings and snacks have gone out the window. On the plus side, I'm pretty sure part of my pot belly has gone the same way!
The rules: are here
The budget: £1 per person per day, so £25 for us
The logistics: There are five of us in this house, me, Mr McDonald, Uncle Brendan - my brother-in-law and the kids 'manny', then the boys, aged 2 and 4. We eat most meals in the house, except Mr McDonald and the 4yo, who both eat lunch at school/work canteens.
The shops: We are fortunate to have an amazing local cornershop/greengrocer which has pretty much everything we need, at reasonable rates. I also belong to a food co-operative, so I buy lots of my dry goods in bulk, which means they are a bit cheaper.
Sign up here.
Menu plan
Day one:
Breakfast: porridge, sugar, milk & water, banana, apple
Lunch: baked potatoes, cheese and butter
Tea: lentil soup and white crusty bread
Dinner: lentil soup and white crusty bread

Day two:
Breakfast: porridge, sugar, milk/water, banana and apple
Lunch: scrambled egg on toast
Tea for everyone: broccoli pasta

Day three
Breakfast: porridge, sugar, milk/water, banana and apple
Lunch: Welsh Rarebit
Tea: a playdate, so we keep it simple with fishfingers, oven chips and peas
Dinner: Aromatic black eyed beans curry

Day four
Breakfast: porridge, sugar, milk/water, banana and apple
Lunch: black eyed beans curry
Tea: kedgeree with basil
Dinner: kedgeree with basil

Day five
Breakfast: porridge, sugar, milk/water, banana and apple
Lunch: carrot soup and toast
Tea: pasta in tomato and basil sauce
Dinner: pasta in tomato and basil sauce

Shopping list:
1kg oats £1
2l milk £1.89
5 apples £1.25
5 bananas £1.25
100g sugar 10p
200g lentils 70p
red pepper 50p
head of garlic 40p
2 x tin of tomatoes £1.04
3 x potatoes  90p
2 x loaves of crusty sesame bread £1.78
300g cheese £3
half pack of butter: 80p
2 x onion 40p
10 eggs £1.99
pasta £1.60
broccoli 60p
250ml olive oil £2
4 x fishfingers 40p
oven chips 80p
frozen peas 50p
black eyed beans 55p
basil £1.10
spices £1
Greek yoghurt £1.09
rice 40p
200g kippers £1.29
lb carrots 40p
TOTAL £28.54