Truly, the cheapest way to get best quality is to buy used or second-hand. It's amazing what it out there when you start trawling through eBay, Craigslist or its equivalents, the classified ads in newspapers, and even garage sales! Keep an eye on walking club newsletters, too.
Every pastime has a litany of newbie enthusiasts who have to have the best equipment, and they either get a severe case of upgradeitis in short order, or they find the pastime just doesn't pan out the way they had hoped.