Could you live below the line?

I am an avocate of frugal living it’s true.  I am a bargain shopper.  I sniff out ‘deals’ like pigs seeking truffles.  I like to eat healthily and not buy what I term as ‘crap’ from supermarkets (crisps, cereal bars etc).

So far, so smug – I’m sure you’ll agree.

But while I pat myself on the back for being such a canny shopper, the fact is that if I wanted to have a blow out on an expensive resturant meal, or gorge on cakes and sweets I could. I am lucky that I have the means to spend more than I do on food and drink.

However millions of people around the world don’t have that luxury, and face days of hunger, malnourishment and extreme poverty.   Can you imagine what it would be like to face the daily struggle to feed yourself and your family?  To have to make the choice between eating or buying clothes? To try and get by on a little amount of money – say £1 – a day?

Well imagine no more, and take part in Live Below the Line – a new campaign which encourages people around the UK to live off just £1 a day for food and drink for a week, to get a better understanding of the challenges faced by people living in extreme poverty.

In the UK many of us are used to being able to buy what we like, when we like.  In fact we often buy so much, that 8.3 million tonnes of food is thrown away by households every year.

The Live Below the Line challenge (which takes place from 2-6 May 2011) is a great way to highlight not only the daily challenges of  people trapped in extreme poverty, but maybe also just how much we buy but don’t actually need.   You can also use the challenge as an opportunity to raise funds for the fight against extreme poverty.

So sure, I consider myself a frugal shopper, but I don’t know what it’s like to walk a mile in the shoes of someone who has no choice.  I’m going to join the campaign on 2 – 6 May, and I hope many others will join me!

Zero-credit: the debtor’s co-operative

Zero-credit is a co-operative of individuals with personal experience of debt. From November they will trade in information which can help to develop and regulate consumer finance.  The aim is to end the stigma which pushes debtors into unsuitable products and services and to start a responsible dialogue with government and the finance sector.

Individual membership costs £1 a year, whilst group subscriptions will be available from £10 to £30. Profits are to be split between sustaining the business and donations to charity.

Founder Emma Bryn-Jones says;

The cost of social and financial exclusion is far greater than anything we offer, so why not check out our Terms for further information, then fill out an application?

Membership is open to any UK resident aged sixteen years or over with personal experience of debt. All we ask is that you do not represent a company, government or not-for-profit body and that, with the exception of information published on the creditfree areas of Zero-credit’s website, you do not promote any goods or services requiring a consumer credit license to other members.

Details of Zero-credit’s Membership & Subscription Terms and Articles of Association provide more information about how they operate.

Zer0-Credit are also on Twitter.

Hate Waste?

I love this video of The Hairy Bikers sharing their tips to reduce food wastage.  This video was taken at the recent Dundee Food and Flower festival and appeared on my radar after a tweet by the campaign group Love Food Hate Waste on Twitter.

Did you know that:

• 8.3 million tonnes of food is thrown away by households in the UK every year.
• Reducing food waste is a major issue and not just about good food going to waste; wasting food costs the average family with children £680 a year and has serious environmental implications too.
• If we all stop wasting food that could have been eaten, the CO2 impact would be the equivalent of taking 1 in 4 cars off the road.

Source: Love Food Hate Waste