AN accountant who once used to splash her cash on posh nosh, champagne and shoes is swapping her lavish lifestyle to live on £10 a week.

Chloe Thompson, 27, of Ipswich Road, Colchester, is aiming to spend an average of less than £1.50 a day for six months to raise money for the charity, Save the Children.

For Miss Thompson, it will mean no alcohol, socialising or shopping and bidding farewell to what she says is her biggest vice – Diet Coke.

Instead, home cooking, growing her own veg and keeping chickens will become her preoccupations during the six-month austerity drive.

Inspired by a trip to Africa in 2009, she aims to cook soup, using veg grown in her garden, make her own pasta and buy only budget food at the supermarket.

She is also offering to work for local businesses at weekends in return for produce.

She said: “I visited Africa a couple of years ago. I had children running after the car to get our plastic water bottles to keep the milk from their livestock in.

“I also visited an orphanage, which was an eye-opener.

“Around the same time, I used to walk into a shop and blow £100 on make-up alone. I wouldn’t think twice about spending £100 on a new dress, or a pair of shoes. I even have clothes in my wardrobe still with the tags on which I’ve never worn.

“I was so used to spending £200 or £250 a week on myself and having a good time.

“Then, when I changed my camera, my Africa photos were on the old one and it reminded me what it was like there.

“I realised I’d lost all perspective and needed to get back to basics and appreciate the simple things in life again.

“I am hoping it will change me for the better in the long-term.”

As well as seeking sponsorship, Miss Thompson plans to make a personal donation from the money she saves during her six-month purge.

To sponsor her, visit www.justgiving.com/Chloe-Thompson You can also follow her progress on her a blog at cwww.cjb2b.blogspot.com