Preparation is the key...

So here we are at the beginning of this years challenge! In case you're new to this the premise is that my family and I will live on £1 a day each for 5 days. We have to count full packets of food in the budget with the exception of spices and herbs where we can calculate the price accordingly.

If you want to see how we got on last year, the blog is at http://lbtlchallenge.blogspot.co.uk/

Once again, I've convinced myself that we can eat healthily, we just need a bit of planning. Reading back over previous years' blogs I've decided I'm a bit of a whiner; this year I'm planning to 'man' up (Sophie will KILL me for using that expression! She's a feminist right now) and crack on.

So, preparation is the key! Some things we bought last year just weren't worth it. I found the potatoes way too expensive as a carb so this year it's mainly rice. Flour also seemed like a good idea but we just didn't use enough to make it worthwhile.

I've gone all technical this year and used a spreadsheet for the shopping list. Fingers crossed I got the Maths right...

What's really struck me when doing the shopping budget is that every single item is the same price or cheaper than last year. I had expected inflation and was a bit worried that our £1 wouldn't go as far but we're actually getting more for our money this year. So it should be a breeze, right?!

To avoid the inevitable scavenging for things to feed the bottomless children I have a cunning plan! SOUP! I had a bit of a dilemma though, I was planning to pick up some end of day veg from the market, but what if it's more money than I have?? I love shopping at the market and I know it's cheap but the pricing is difficult as with a £/kg it's hard to know the exact amount it will cost. I dread that feeling of ordering 1lb and being asked if 1.1lb is ok. With a budget this tight it's not going to work unless the food is priced per item. After much deliberation I decided to stick with Aldi so I know exactly how much everything will be before I even leave the house. On such a small budget it's important to think about every single £1 to get the most out of it. I fear that in the midst of the market I'll panic and end up messing up.

Sophie wasn't really into the challenge this year. I definitely wouldn't force either of them to join in if they didn't want to but some gentle bribery with a promise that she could help decide how the money raised was spent at the drop-in and she's in. She really took some talking around when it came to school dinners though! She didn't want sandwiches, which added an extra dimension to the challenge. So far it looks like sausages, boiled eggs, cucumber and biscuits. Totally random combo but she seems happy with it!

So here we are! I'm shopping tomorrow because Thursday we're out for Sophie's birthday then away with my mama for the weekend. The 'preparation is the key' is looking wobbly already because I wanted to cook the chicken, make the soup etc ahead of time but I'm sure it will come together!

As last year you can sponsor us at https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/livebelowtheline. All funds raised will go to Barnsley Churches Drop-in Project, a charity very close to my heart which provides meals for the homeless and impoverished in Barnsley.