UPDATED APRIL 2025
Living on £1 sounds hard, when people heard i was living on a pound a day the general response was: "I could never do that £1" "seriously... no way that's crazy" and "how are you going to survive?"... These were some of the comments i received, some people thought I was deluded and a bit weird, but honestly that just made me want to experience it more. Living on £1 made me realise that life is very weird, we seem to see things the way we are told, I mean we are told you can't survive without spending a huge sum of money on things, on labels.
labels, labels determine most of our first world lives, having lived in a third world country I can honestly say that life was much better there than in the first world. Of course I am human and I did want fancy labels however, I did not want them as much as I do now. As conceited as that is it is true, it seems that life is run by labels, the same product will cost differently just because of a label.
During my live below the line challenge I found that the ASDA smartprice was just as good as any other label. I found a curry that was 18p! that tasted as good as any other curry I've had, even better than some other fancy curry labels. I could not believe it I could create delicious meals for £5 during 5 days without feeling sick. The label theory is ridiculous, being a student that shops excessively I refuse to eat smart price and opt to go for labels that my parents buy at home - mind you they can afford it, I cant- making my costs high. My monthly food shop is between £15-£30. So i spend between £60-£120 monthly on food minus those cheeky takeaways which are £10 minimum.
Writing this and reflecting on my poor decisions I have realised that I am a true first world consumer. I am like the average Joe that chooses labels over substance. I can create a £1 meal that will save me money however, I choose to cook meals every night that cost me between £4-£10. This is ridiculous! Obviously I am going to curb most of these habits in my second year of uni when I know how to budget better. Living below the line enabled me to experience an inexpensive life that is just as satisfying as my expensive life. I can buy and make yummy food with 40p rice, 18p curry, 38p naan bread, 42p juice and £1.69 chicken pieces.
Also i introduced my friends to one of the best (cheap) curry sauces and we have had it for dinner. I am grateful and happy that I got this experience I would do this again, it's totally worth it.
I thought living on £1/day would be just about food. It turned out to be about dignity, choice, and resilience—and it forever changed how I think about poverty
Ruth
ICS & Restless Development volunteer
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