Day Five (almost time for treats)

I quickly decided against blogging each day about what I was eating for Live Below The Line, purely because no one wants to read about cheese sandwiches and biscuits for five days straight.

I am approaching tomorrow with the same excitement as I would my birthday as I can reintroduce my usual treats into my diet. I wouldn't say I've gone hungry over the last five days (in fact, I've probably still eaten more than a lot of people who weren't living below the line) however it's the lack of variety and spontaneity which have been the hardest. I'm so used to grabbing food at every opportunity, whether it's chocolate to break up the working day or biscuits (which aren't Asda smart price) in front of the TV. I've also missed being able to pay for the convenience of having food whenever I want it. Eating dry toast on the train to London yesterday was probably a low point of the week!

Of course five days is absolutely nothing and, as numerous other participants have been saying on Twitter, there's so many more people who are permanently living below the line (and don't have the luxury of constantly tweeting at others for support). I've gone through this week counting down the days until I can go back to my old (bad) habits however I'd like to think I've taken more from the experience than a new level of appreciation for Nutella.

Having to think so carefully about what you're eating is exhausting (I'm still worrying about the possibility of going over budget and I never want to weigh out pasta again). It also impacts your social life considering I couldn't have afforded one cocktail with my weekly budget (and no one wants you watching them eat whilst you're sipping a glass of tap water).

As I said on Monday, I'm not asking for sponsorship as I don't think skipping after work drinks is enough to inspire people to give generously. I would, however, urge you to have a look at the amazing charities Live Below the Line are working with and let them speak for themselves. I've decided to donate money to Positive Women however they're all incredibly worthwhile causes and so please, swap that Friday night glass of wine for some good karma and donate if you can.