FAQs

First of all, Live Below the Line’s main aim is to amplify awareness about extreme poverty and raise money to help empower those who live in it. If you accomplish this, even without following all the rules, you’re a champion in our eyes! The rules exist to set guidelines and create a shared experience for our participants. Have a look below!

• You have $2 per day to spend on all your food and drink. You don’t need to factor tap water into this - it’s counted as ‘free’ and we’d encourage you to drink as much as possible and stay hydrated!
• You cannot accept ‘free’ food. If a friend offers you some, encourage them to donate instead!
• • You can use food already in your house but ONLY IF you factor in the full cost of an item (eg. don’t buy a 10kg bag of rice from Coles, use only 200g and factor in only that cost).
  • Teaming up with friends helps you bulk buy!
  • If you’ve got plants growing you can definitely use them, either factor in the cost of the seeds or the actual plant/ fruit/ veg from a local market :)
• You don’t have to do the challenge in actual LBL week - if that week doesn’t work for you, you can do it any time between July and October. Don’t forget though, donations close on October 31st! If you're not doing the challenge on 7-11 September, let us know here so we can support you when you do it! 

It is, but planning ahead is essential. You’ll need to plan carefully to make sure your food is nutritious and filling, and make sure to drink a lot of water while you’re taking the challenge. We recommend eating regularly – no skipping meals – to maintain your energy levels and satisfy your appetite.

High-fibre foods will be your best friend here. Lentils, rice, oats, vegetables, pasta and bread are good options. It’s not really exciting, but if you shop carefully, you’ll find you can get a fair amount of food for your $10 budget. Check out our recipes and shopping tips for menus and ideas, and join our 'Live Below the Line Connect' group on Facebook to see what other participants are buying.

Basically, all the stuff your mum never let you eat when you were a kid (sorry). Chips, lollies, chocolate and soft drinks are expensive and won’t provide you with the nutrients you need to get through the week. Though we do love a little cup of jelly for a sugar hit about halfway through the week!

In terms of price, brand-name foods will be more expensive, and meat’s probably out of your budget, too. Instead, go for lentils or legumes – a tin of baked beans can feel pretty hearty when you’re two days into the challenge.

The best way to do it is to plan ahead, make a shopping list, and spend your $10 for the week in one hit. Then you can divide your food into portions over the five days. We recommend you buy staple foods like pasta, rice, lentils, bread, veggies and oats that will fill you up, and remember to pool your money if you’re taking the challenge in a team – you’ll be able to stretch your money much further!

If you have a medical condition, take regular medication, have recently been unwell, in hospital or had surgery, we strongly recommend you seek approval from your treating doctor before participating in the challenge.

We also don’t recommend the challenge to people under the age of 15, because young people need adequate energy to support growth. Although, if you're a teenager looking to take the challenge, drop us a line at hello[at]lbl.com.au – we’ve got another option for you!

Because you’ll likely have a very different diet from usual, you may like to take it easy during the five days of the challenge. Trying to keep up your usual exercise with a reduced energy intake may result in illness or injury.

Stop immediately! And see your doctor if it’s required. We definitely don’t want you hurting yourself or making yourself sick.

We don’t recommend it. We’ve had participants do it before, but we don’t want anyone to risk their health. The challenge is about raising awareness and gaining a small insight into what it’s like to live with limited choices – not about pushing yourself to see how far you can go. We think five days is enough for that.

If you’d like more of a challenge, though, try our new Challenge Mode – push your donors to give more by making you take more challenges to earn your donations. Good luck!

You definitely can! We’ve got an offline donation form here. Another option, and the easiest way for you, is to donate to your profile yourself and pocket the cash – it reduces our admin time and means your fundraising total is updated automatically.

October 31, 2020. Mark your calendar!

The money raised through Live Below the Line funds work that help fights poverty. 76% of our money goes to work that directly fights poverty, 12% covers vital costs of accountability and admin, and another 12% goes to fundraising. You can read a breakdown of our financials here, and read more about Live Below the Line’s cause here, and understand how our international partners function here.