Below the Line: Day 1

The power of the mind is an amazing thing. Despite having eaten very well yesterday, I woke up this morning with a loudly growling stomach.

Don't give me that attitude, stomach, I haven't even started yet!

Before I even began I could see what effect hearing people say "You're going to be so hungry next week" over and over has already had on me. What will it be like when I keep hearing it on Wednesday, Thursday & Friday?

I started the challenge with 2 eggs scrambled with a bit of water and a tiny bit of salt. I think scrambled are my least favourite way to eat eggs, but I wanted something quick and easy this morning. Hopefully I'll be making them in a few different ways for the rest of the week.

• 2 eggs = $0.42
• Salt = $0.01
• BREAKFAST = $0.43

Thank God I like the way this pita tastes. It certainly makes life a lot easier, since I plan to eat this every day for lunch.

First I used my fingers to shred 1/5 of a package of imitation crab into a bowl. Then I grated half a carrot and threw it in. Then I took 1/4 of a lemon and squeezed a few drops on it all, mixed it up and popped it in a pita.

• 1 pita = $0.17
• 1/5 pack of imitation crab = $0.20
• 1/2 carrot = $0.08
• one squirt of a quarter of a lemon = $0.02.
• LUNCH = $0.47

I took the other half of the carrot back to work with me to munch on in the afternoon. I didn't take a picture because, well, it's half a carrot...

• 1/2 carrot = $0.08
• SNACK = $0.08

• Now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever tried to cook dinner without using some sort of oil or butter or something of that nature so I really wasn't sure how this was going to turn out. Luckily, it was really rather good!

I chopped up a carrot and a few small potatoes, tossed them on a parchement lined baking sheet and sprinkled over a little garlic salt and a tiny bit of dill weed. I chucked them in the oven at 400 and took a lucky guess at how long to cook them for (20min -flip-15min did the trick perfectly.)

• 3 small potatoes=  $0.18
• 1 carrot = $0.15
• spices = $0.03
• DINNER = $0.36

Also, I didn't take a picture but I made up some lemon water with 1/10th of my lemon.

• 1/10 lemon = $0.04
• water = $0.00
• DRINK = $0.04

I decided to try a little experiment and attempt making potato chips in the microwave. These actually weren't that bad tasting but weren't crispy and I know the thickness was the problem. I aim to perfect my technique by the end of day 5!

• 1 small potato = $0.06
• pinch of garlic salt = $0.01
• SNACK = $0.07

Which brings my grand total for the day to:

$1.45

Although I cannot accept donations of food, I am raising money for SPREAD THE NET which is all about getting mosquito nets where they are most needed in order help end preventable malaria deaths. View my sponsorship page HERE.