[Koppur]

I am on WW (I count points) and am seriously cutting back on my groceries. I eat almost no WW brand food. I buy light/fat free ice cream of whatever brand is cheapest, I eat high fiber but low fat general cereals (like shaw's raisin bran), and I only buy meat on sale (chicken, fish, red meat, etc).

However, when meat is on sale, I will usually buy a very good amount and cut it up into single servings and freeze it. I also buy large portions of meat at Sam's club and cut it up/freeze it. Today Perdue chicken breasts were BOGO free. I can get 3 servings (of about 3 points each) out of each pack. So for $5.95 I got 6 servings of chicken today. That's less thna $1 a serving, adn that with some fresh veggies and a scoop of ice cream will give me dinner for about $3.00, and about 6 points.

I eat a lot of veggies, but I either get the fresh ones at farmers markets where they are cheaper, wait til they are on sale, or buy frozen ones. Chicken stir fry w/ a packet of frozen veggies tastes the same as chicken stir fry w/fresh veggies. Add it's the same points, only cheaper.

I stay away from things like rice and most pastas, but will buy wheat pasta when it's on sale (10 for $10 this week! Whoo-hoo!)

I don't use a lot of special seasonings/oils b/c they are high in points and pricey. I use a lot of garlic, which I get in a massive container at Sam's club, and a lot of fresh cilantro from my garden. I also use a lot of salsa, since it is very low point and can usually be found generic brand for about $1.00 on sale or after coupons. And Mrs. Dash is great on everyting (plus it's sodium free) so I get the big jar at Sams.

I hope this helps some. Any question, feel free to e-mail me. =)

I also eat a lot of bean dishes. Beans are very high in fiber so very low in points, and cheap. I have a chilli I make (meatless) that is 1/2 point a cup, amkes $14 cups and costs about $5 to make for the whole pot.