So we all had a shocker recently, when we read about 25 stone Mum of two Christina Briggs being unable to afford to eat healthy.

Spending £300 a month on junk food, Christina claims that eating healthy and exercise are too expensive. (You can read the full article here: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/real-life-stories/25-stone-mum-gets-20k-4318143).

So is it REALLY too expensive to eat healthy? No way. Eating a balanced diet can not only do wonders for your health, but it really isn’t to shabby on your bank balance either.

Here are some tips on how to do it cheap.

Reduced Sections

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The reduced section of the supermarket is about to become your new best friend. Getting involved can have a serious effect on your bank balance, and provide you and your family healthy, balanced meals for a fraction of the cost.

Timing is key if you are planning on making tonight’s meal form your bargains, as it will probably be hard to make a nutritious meal from an avocado, some ham and 24 Yakults. Reducing starts in most stores at around 3pm, but it is worth being well aware when your local supermarket packs in the bargains.

If you can’t get to your local supermarket on a daily basis, fear not. Most of the local stores like the co-op have caught on to this great way for them to shift stock going out of date that day. Remember though, always check meat products before cooking.

Farm Shops & Greengrocers

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Yes, they DO still exist. In far far corners of the earth. Well, not even far corners, they are actually pretty common. As well as being able to pick up some bargains, the freshness of the produce from the farm shop or greengrocer is second to none. If you are not sure where your local farm or farmshop is, there is a great website, http://www.farmshop.uk.com/ where you can find your local one. My local farmshop also sells random things like wine and cleaning products, so you can clean your kitchen and get drunk as well.

Cook & Freeze

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How many times have your portion sizes gone a bit askew and you end up chucking good food in the bin? I personally tend to cook for 78 when there are only two in my household. Sometimes, if you know you have a busy couple of weeks it can be easier to cook everything in one go. Instead of wasting perfectly good food, cook and freeze. Instead of writing the date you froze something, write the date it needs to be eaten by on the label to save your self even more time. Near enough all food can be cooked and froze, but be careful with meat. If you do not have a lot of space to play with, freeze in bags so you can squish the food into tight spaces.

Don’t eat as much meat

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I know this sounds horrifying to the carnivore in us and I am not suggesting in any way shape or form you go all veggie, but where has this notion come from that we absolutely have to eat meat every day? You would be pleasantly surprised if you had a few meat free days in your week. There are loads of vegetarian recipes I love, especially a good vegetable Bolognese.  By having a bit of a meat free day, you also unwittingly eat like, hundreds more veggies, which can only be a good thing. Surprisingly, there are loads of recipes you can use just substituting meat for a mixture of vegetables. Mind blowing isn’t it?

Grow your own

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I know, it sounds like some crazy notion that only like, really out there hippies partake in, but you really can grow your own food. You don’t even need to buy seeds, as most will grow from seeds you extract from the fruit or veg and dry out. Even if you live in a flat, a teensy tiny space on your balcony with some sun can home a fine tomato plant, and you can be making pasta sauce until it comes out of your ears. If you do have a large space to work with, plan your growing seasonably so that you are growing something all year round. You can also sell your produce or plants and make a bit of extra cash. Perfect!.