Evening Edge

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The surge in prices is forcing people to try to cut corners and find bargains where they can, such as buying store brands, which tend to cost less than name brands.

A recent study by the Food Marketing Institute found that about a third more shoppers are limiting themselves to frozen or boxed foods instead of fresh items this year, while nearly half said they bought fewer foods overall.

But 55-year-old Cherise Tilly, who lives with her mother in Cincinnati, said she still buys more expensive items like steak, ribs or chicken for grilling along with relatively cheaper meats like hamburgers and hot dogs.

"My mother keeps worrying and says we need to cut back more, but getting together with friends to eat is one of the pleasures in life," said Tilly while shopping at a suburban Cincinnati Kroger store.

Other shoppers may be more reluctant to indulge, and those paying close attention to prices in the aisles may worry they're being gouged by grocers, said National Retail Federation spokesman Scott Krugman.

"Consumers don't care why prices are increasing, they just want something to be done about it," Krugman said. "What they don't realize is how razor-thin profit margins are in terms of price increases on grocers as well."

While beef prices have been high, chicken and pork prices are expected to rise as producers are feeling the brunt of higher costs for feed and fuel.

Scott Faber, a lobbyist for the Grocery Manufacturers Association, which has been pushing Congress to increase ethanol research funding, said prices for meat will continue to rise in the next couple of years. Newly enacted federal ethanol mandates will drive the cost of corn higher, he said.

"We are just in the beginning of a period of significantly higher prices, and American families will continue to feel that impact as the cost for basic staples like milk, meat and eggs will grow dramatically," Faber said. "This holiday weekend surely reflects that."

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Associated Press writer Lisa Cornwell in Cincinnati contributed to this report.

BY THE NUMBERS

The following is a list of prices for barbecue fixings, this year compared with last year:

Cookout Favorites: 2008 2007 Percent Change

1 lb. beef $3.52 $3.48 1.1 percent

Package of 8 hot dogs $4.29 $4.02 6.7 percent

8 burger buns $1.61 $1.38 16.7 percent

8 hot dog buns $1.89 $1.65 14.5 percent

1 lb. American cheese $3.88 $3.73 4 percent

1 lb. Tomatoes $1.77 $1.63 8.6 percent

1 lb. Lettuce 99 cents 90 cents 9.1 percent

16-ounce bag of chips $3.89 $3.48 11.8 percent

6-pack of beer $6.74 $6.66 1.2 percent

2-liter bottle of soda $1.33 $1.20 10.8 percent

16.4-ounce propane gas cartridge $2.69 $2.49 8 percent

Lighter fluid $3.66 $3.54 3.4 percent

Charcoal $7.89 $7.78 1.4 percent

Ketchup $2.69 $2.49 8 percent

Mustard $1.45 $1.42 2.1 percent

Mayonaise $3.71 $3.28 13.1 percent

Salad dressing $3.49 $3.29 6 percent

Jar of pickles $2.99 $2.85 4.9 percent

Paper plates $1.82 $1.60 13.8 percent

Napkins 82 cents 79 cents 3.8 percent