I ate on a £10 budget for a week and survived

Whilst I'm well aware that my student loan is rapidly decreasing due to my ridiculous eating habits, I continue to wine and dine myself on a regular basis…until this week where I've had to feed myself on £10 for the ENTIRE WEEK.

I'll be the first to admit that going to M&S for convenience and picking up two chicken kievs for £7 is just completely outrageous but I'm the type who does it. I'm THAT person. This week however, I've scrapped the luxury and stuck to Tesco value products – which are exactly the same as what you would buy in Waitrose or M&S, but for a quarter of the price.

Upon toying with the idea of whether or not to put this experiment into practice, I took myself off to Tesco, equipped with a £10 note and a frightfully short shopping list. After a solid hour of searching aimlessly for cheap deals whilst making a conscious effort to avoid the confectionery and chocolate aisle, I eventually left with my essentials.

Here's what I bought:

1 kg Tesco's own Porridge oats – £0.75
1 loaf of bread – £0.50
6 eggs – £0.70
1 tin of tuna – £0.65
1×5 slice packet of ham – £1.00
1 packet of 6 chicken thighs – £1.49
1 packet of spaghetti – £0.20
14p bread rolls – £0.65
1 bag of baby potatoes – £1.00
1 bag white rice – £0.45
2 pork chops – £2.00
1 courgette – £0.20
Orange juice – £0.65

Total = £10.24

Monday:

Breakfast – porridge (with water because milk wasn't in the budget, ew) and orange juice. Feeling like a new woman with my life in check, I thoroughly enjoyed my somewhat healthy breakfast. Probably because it only cost me £1.40.

Lunch – egg sandwiches…not so much.

Dinner– rice and two chicken thighs – just decent.

Tuesday:

Breakfast – poached egg on toast with orange juice (combined with a lot of anger when the egg turned out shit).

Lunch – tuna sandwich – gross.

Dinner – one roast chicken thigh with rice. Was uncertain about the thighs at first as I'm more of a breast kind of gal – first world problems clearly.

Wednesday:

Breakfast – porridge and orange juice (again).

Lunch – chicken sandwich…DULL.

Dinner – one roast chicken thigh with rice again…MORE DULL.

At this stage I was ready to pack it in and order a Dominos, but I had to remain strong for the challenge.

Thursday:

Breakfast – poached egg on toast and, guess what? Orange juice. I was a bit too generous with my glass size at the start of the week forgetting that one carton had to last the whole week.

Lunch – A tuna sandwich, again, gross.

Dinner – Lovely tuna pasta bake. Why did I even buy tuna?

It took every inch of me to reject my housemates offer of going to Spy Bar for their 50 per cent off pizza deal. Only three more days I told myself, through my clouded, tear-filled eyes.

Friday:

Breakfast – porridge (slowly withering away..)

Lunch – pork chops, fried potatoes and roasted courgettes. I don't even like courgettes. What was I thinking?

Dinner – one solitary chicken thigh with rice.

Saturday:

Breakfast – porridge and orange juice AGAIN.

Lunch – egg sandwich.

Dinner – ham and egg salad.

Only one…more…day.

Sunday:

Breakfast – porridge.

Lunch – ham sandwich.

Dinner – 1 chicken thigh with rice, FOR THE LAST TIME.

After the longest week of my life trying to avoid the restaurants begging me to spend money I don't have, I am walking, living proof that it actually is possible to feed yourself on £10 for the week. Will I do it again? Definitely not.