Living Below the Line 2012: My Diary ? Lords of the Blog

Here, in?my five-day diary,?I reveal how?I survived on porridge, water and vegetable soup as part of my Live Below the Line campaign 2012.

THE RULES

I have to live on ?1 a day for five consecutive days.

Worldwide, 1.4billion people live on this. Thankfully, my ?1 a day is just food and drink, not everything else as well like them.

No gifts, anything used from the kitchen must be accounted for, but I don?t need to allocate for electricity or other living costs.

I will have three meals a day and drink tap water.

I need to avoid coffee, milk, bread, soft drinks, alcohol and meat.

WEDNESDAY

Breakfast ? Porridge/raisins 10p

Lunch ? Lentil and onion soup 16p

Dinner ? Baked potato and beans?58p

Tea bags/raisins snack ? 10p

Day one and it?s the Queen?s Speech and it seems appropriate that I start my challenge to highlight extreme poverty today.

The House of Lords is full of people dressed in robes and ready for lunches their guests will enjoy.

Meanwhile, I am in the kitchen heating up the lentil soup I made earlier and carried in on the Tube.

I am full of admiration for the Lords Speaker, Baroness Frances D?Souza, who is also Living Below the Line for charity this week. She welcomes the Queen and carries out all her ceremonial duties while also resisting temptation.

The Queen?s Speech is disappointing. The Government?s previous promise to legislate for 0.7 per cent of GNP to go to Development Aid is missing, although it will happen inthe budget.

A ?500 donation arrives from my friend Annie Lennox.

What a star she is, in every respect. Inspiring.

In the office people offer to buy me coffee, but a key rule in this challenge is no gifts.

I?m glad there are nolate-night votes, and I go home to cook my potato and leave temptation behind.

THURSDAY

Breakfast ? Porridge and raisins 10p

Lunch ? Sandwiches, soup and yoghurt 35p

Dinner ? Soup and sandwich 31p

Tea bags/raisins snack ? 10p

Back in the Lords, and I lunch with the Ladies who Live Below the Line.

Six peers are joining LBTL 2012 to raise money for charity, including one from each party, and a Bishop.

Baroness Anne Jenkin, my favourite Tory, has organised a soup kitchen and made soup, sandwiches and yoghurts for 35p per person.

We swap stories of the challenge so far. For those on day four, this helps them get to the end.Faced with the challenge of nowhere to cook later, I grab leftover sandwiches to eat in the evening with the remains of yesterday?s soup.

A fantastic donation of ?4000 comes in from one of the businessmen who support another charity I help, Cash for Kids. His generosity motivates me to battle on.

Heading back to Scotland, I cut the time available for temptation and get the early sleeper train to Inverness, leaving London at 9.15pm and arriving in Stirling 5am. For once I don?t eat or drink in the buffet car. I go straight to my berth and read.

FRIDAY

Breakfast ? Porridge and raisins 10p

Lunch ? Banana 19p

Dinner ? Soup 32p

Tea bags and raisins snack ? 10p

I arrive home in plenty of time to cook porridgefor breakfast.

Despite my patriotic zeal for all things Scottish, I have never liked porridge.

Eating it without milk (too expensive for my budget) is even less attractive. But, adding raisins improves the taste and it is vital for a filling, cheap and healthy start to the day.

Off to Glasgow to meet David Moulsdale of Optical Express, with a banana for lunch on the train.

More offers of coffee and cakes from well-meaning colleagues, but my bottle of tap water is my limit for the afternoon and the ever-generous David agrees to sponsor me.

Meanwhile, Come Dine Below the Line is out on the Channel Four website at www.channel4.com/programmes/come-dine-with-me/articles/come-dine-below-the-line.

We filmed this short version of the popular programme at Anne Jenkin?s house, with Harry Potter star Bonnie Wright among the guests.

It really is excellent and I circulate the link on Twitter and Facebook.

Back home and the cravings hit hard. I am not organised, so have to settle for another pot of lentil and onion soup for dinner. Very boring.

SATURDAY

Breakfast ? Porridge and raisins 10p

Lunch ? Banana 19p

Dinner ? Soup, rice and veg 51p

Tea bags/raisins snack ? 10p

The Daily Record want my LBTL diary. For a donation, I agree. Come Dine Below the Line has secured more donations. Edging closer to my target.

Off to the Isle of Arran for a couple of nights. Still badly organised for cooking anything cheap, so it?s a banana again for lunch.

I stop at a charity plant sale, but it is also selling the most delicious homemade cakes. I buy some plants and leave quickly.

Those lovely cakes were almost too tempting, but I must be strong and resist. My stomach protests all the way to Arran.

In Lamlash, I really need to eat something different. Some value stir fry veg from the local Co-op comes to my rescue. A portion of that and some rice and I have a dinner.

It is a beautiful sunset. I would love to sit out and look at the sea with a beer in hand, but that will have to wait for another weekend.

SUNDAY

Breakfast ? Porridge and raisins 10p

Lunch ? Soup 20p

Dinner ? Baked potato and beans 68p

Tea bags/raisins snack ? 10p

Last day. I?ve got headaches worse than a hangover.

Headaches are a noticeable part of LBTL, probably caused by hunger.

My father grows veg, so leeks and carrots from him for a last pot of soup save a few pennies. This is allowed, as long as I allocate the costs of growing them.

An old university friend living in Australia has spotted my updates on Twitter and posts a ?500 donation online.

After all these years, I am touched by his generosity and I know now I will make it to midnight.

An old school friend I have not seen for years offers a drink or a pub lunch but I can?t, so we chat walking in the rain instead. I must be mad.

Midnight approaches and other friends register late donations.

All these contributions, large and small, are appreciated, and they will help our project make a difference in Malawi.

I have made it. Five pounds lighter. Raised more than ?13,000. Chuffed.

?To donate go to www.livebelowtheline.com/me/jackmcconnell.

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