Ashley Hoover has a big family, so the 25-year-old Windsor Township resident said she has taken to clipping coupons and buying generic to try to save money at the checkout.

She said it seems as though prices are always going up, and depending on what's in your cart in York County, she's right.

Some prices are on the rise, but manufacturers and grocers conscious of the global recession have been putting in place cost-cutting measures, such as Weis Markets' "price freeze."

The York Dispatch conducts a price comparison at four area stores every October and April, pricing a sample of 17 commonly purchased items -- ranging from staples such as milk to local favorites such as Martin's Potato Chips and Turkey Hill ice cream.

The cost

of the items on the list increased at all stores when last week's prices were compared with last April. However, the increase at all stores except for Shurfine was less than 2 percent. Shurfine's price grew 6.5 percent on the sample items.

Prices actually fell at two of the stores -- Giant and Walmart -- when this month's prices were compared with those from six months ago.

Walmart rang up the lowest bill, followed by Giant Food Stores, Weis Markets and Shurfine Markets.

Bills ranged from $59.91 at Walmart to $72.25 at Shurfine.

Comparison: In the six-month comparison, prices for Tide detergent, Domino sugar, eggs and milk increased at all four stores. The price of a pound of butter jumped by more than 20 cents at all of the stores except Walmart.

The increase in dairy items
isn't welcome news for Hoover, who was shopping at a Giant on Cape Horn Road in Windsor Township.

"Milk is very expensive," she said. "We try to not use a lot of that at home."

And higher prices on milk also affect the products, such as cheese, in which the commodity is an ingredient, said Giant spokeswoman Tracy Pawelski.

Weis Markets spokesman Dennis Curtin said the price increase for milk reflects a rebound after prices

were depressed because of the economic downturn.

He said dairy farms have reduced their herd size, cutting the supply of milk and causing a price increase.

Curtin attributed the sugar increase to a worldwide shortage as Brazil is making ethanol from its sugar cane.

Trying to save: Chanceford Township resident Eileen Druck, 64, was also in a mood to save money last week.

She was carrying a pen, a calculator and a list to do some comparison shopping of her own.

"It seems like you're paying a higher price, but there's less in the package," she observed.

She might be onto something.

Manufacturers sometimes decrease the amount of product in a package to avoid a price increase, though some increases seem inevitable.

Tide switched from 100-fluid-ounce containers to a 50-ounce concentrate formula that the company says cleans an equal amount of laundry.

The company billed the change as an eco-friendly move that reduced the amount of plastic needed for the package and the amount of gas needed to transport the product.

Though the change presumably saved the company money, the price of the concentrate increased by at least 50 cents at all stores except for Walmart.

New York strip steaks were the only item on the list to show a significant decrease, with prices falling by 50 cents to $2.20.

--Reach Christina Kauffman at 505-5436, ckauffman@yorkdispatch.com, or follow her on Twitter at @dispatchbizwiz.