Monday is the first day of my live below the line challenge. The most difficult thing for me was waking up and not being able to have a green tea. Its small things like that, which make you realise that even the smallest things that you take for granted are actually a luxury to others.

Usually when I run out of something I won’t think twice about just going to the shop and purchasing it again, which is when I usually come back with half the shop and the kitchen sink, but I never think about the amount of money I’ve spent. People who live below the poverty line do not have the luxury to just replace things when they are gone, they have a small amount to live from and when that’s gone, they have to wait until the next time they can afford to buy food.

For my breakfast I had a bowl of porridge oats, which is no different to what I would usually have, for a large bag of porridge oats it costs around 75p.

For my lunch I had homemade soup, which I made from the casserole pack I brought with my allowance and vegetable stock cubes to give the soup more flavor, I ate the soup with a pack of 18p noodles. Which to my surprise were actually very tasty.

I usually eat a lot of fruit, and if I want a snack it will be fruit so not having any today has been a bit of a shock to me.

For my dinner I had pasta with tuna and chopped tomatoes, which was really filling.

I have definitely eaten a lot less today than I usually would, it’s very easy to just go into the fridge and grab a snack or just put the kettle on unknowingly. I’ve also drank a lot more water which can only be a positive.

One thing I’ve noticed today is that I’ve felt quite tired all day. Whether this is because the food I’ve eaten is low in energy or because I’ve not had my caffeine fix, I’m not completely sure.

Keep reading my posts to see how I’m getting on with the challenge!

For more on the campaign please visit: https://www.livebelowtheline.com/me/twilliams2