It was a bit of a novelty when I first heard about "Live Below the Line" – I don't think I fully appreciated what it would be like. And more than that I don't think I fully appreciated that living like this is the everyday for so many people around the world.
I first got involved with Live Below the Line a year ago – it was the brave government group of traders at UM that embarked on the challenge of a week of getting friendly with carbs. Some of us got a little too friendly and were banned from ever participating again. For now you will remain nameless, but you people know who you are!
It dawned on me the night before, the extent of what I was getting involved with, but by that time I couldn't back out – not with my $10 worth of groceries awaiting me in the fridge.
The first Monday is hard, no coffee except for a half a teaspoon of instant, no sugar and a drop if milk (calculated at 15c a hit). If you are considering this challenge ALDI is your friend, supplying wholemeal bread and baked beans to fill out your first feed. At your first meal the selfishness is still present and the thought this is a feast for millions is far from your mind.
Lunch is tuna on toast – a pretty standard lunch for many – however when you're living below the line you need to ration everything in order to get through the week – so your quantity of tuna is around about a tablespoon, with a nice tall glass of water on the side.
Yes, you get grumpy. Yes, you have a headache from caffeine withdrawal. Yes, you feel uninspired and lethargic. But you also have the comfort of knowing that for you, it has an end.
Oh, and don't think about accepting that free piece of fruit. Make sure that salt your are using is accounted for. Butter? You better be sure it is Home Brand and in your budget. What?! You included a tub of hummus in your spend? This is going to end badly.
Wednesday is your make or break day. Your body either switches and adapts to your new routine or it breaks and you end up getting busted stealing a Monte Carlo from the cookie jar. I'm happy to say I never cheated. Instead I heated up my bag of $1.69 frozen vegetables and sulked.
Both times I have participated in LBTL Thursday has been my happy day. There is an end in sight and a hell of a lot of money raised. It is usually the day you stride with your new routine, and I'm not saying you enjoy it or it becomes easy, but you do deal. Or at least I did, until the pizza arrived.
One of our lovely reps had brought the team lunch in order to present some new research. The thought of going into a poorly ventilated room with pizza and people eating it was not going to happen. I may or may not have refused to enter, laughed and cried at the same time and sat alone at lunch eating my mustard sandwich.
By Friday you feel on top of the world, the caffeine withdrawals have subsided, your jeans are looser and you have almost finished an incredibly rewarding challenge. It hits you on Friday that the millions of people that live like this are far stronger than you. You realise this is their everyday struggle, the constant hunger and heavy head doesn't go away after 5pm and they don't know when their next meal is coming or how they will make it. You realise extreme and unnecessary poverty needs to be bought to the atte4ntion of so many more people. But for now you realise you have played your part.
Elena Giannini
UM Sydney
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