by Holly Golightly

Created on: September 24, 2008   Last Updated: September 26, 2009

The credit crunch has officially arrived and the recession is hitting a lot of people very hard, especially if they are on a very tight budget and wish to save money as well.

I have to say, despite this, I am still seeing many bargains with very food prices in the well known supermarkets which include fresh fruit and vegetables and whilst some involve large packets of oranges and apples etc, they are healthy eating options.

Saving money at any time when on a budget can be difficult and I know as a person who only has one income, that saving money and eating healthy can be conflicting but its not impossible.

Supermarket shopping and saving money

I have often bought fish where you buy one get one free (or BOGOF) to those more familiar with this term.

All sorts of foods that are healthy such as wholegrain bread, fruit, and even meat are in plentiful supply, you just have to look a bit harder, or shop at a different time of day, as sometimes the sell by dates on some of these products, are put out at the end of the day and it might be that you can pick up some very good cuts of meat reduced by half the price as well as getting bread half the price.

Home baking and saving money

I have recently started to make my own bread, this has saved me a lot of money in the long term as well, as a bag of flour makes me approximately 3 large loaves and all the dry ingredients to go into the bread making also go a long way.

Cake making is a great way of saving money, and often the ingredients go a lot further and you can make twice as many cakes and then freeze them and also you know what has gone into your cake, i.e. the amount of fat and sugar that you use (often you can substitute sugar with honey and fat with oil).

Getting meat from butchers is not always expensive and can save you money

I have got into a bit of a routine about beef, as any meat that I have left over from the Sunday roast, goes into making mince for a shepherds pie or beef burgers or chili and you can freeze these dishes. The options are endless, so sometimes I just buy a big piece of beef, as it will make a few more meals for later on, up to three and all healthy meals.

Fresh fruit & vegetables

Bulk foods such as potatoes and pasta are a great way to bulk out meal times, you can make very interesting potato dishes and vegetables at the moment as stated above, you can get many of these in bowls costing 1 pound. The market stalls are very good at selling these bowls of vegetables and fruit.

I often buy lemons and make my own lemon curd, as well as strawberries and plums to make my own jam.

Coupons and saving money

Often found in newspapers and magazines and also in the free magazines that some supermarkets hand out, you get coupons, but often the products that they are giving you money off are not the usual items you buy and if you are on a very tight budget, these sorts of purchases are unnecessary.

I think the credit crunch has probably made people think more about their food habits and there is no reason why anyone should not be able to eat healthily and save money, if they are wise.

I am constantly surprised at how many people tell me that they find their shopping bill have doubled, I am not denying prices have gone up, but equally, I have found that there are many things that are the same price if not cheaper and I am still managing to eat healthy.

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