Pretty soon, the birds will have to start fending for themselves.

It's hard enough for York Township resident Richard Sterner to buy groceries for himself and his wife, he said.

So he might have to cut out the 20-pound bag of bird seed that he usually picks up for his yard.

Record-high energy, corn and wheat prices in the past year have led to the worst food inflation in nearly 20 years.

When paying more for nearly everything on his store list, Sterner said spending $9 per bag for seed is for the birds.

Like other York County residents, Sterner said he's buying fewer luxury items and picking up generic brands when possible.

When he retired about 10 years ago, he was spending about $40 per week for food. Standing outside the

Shurfine-Spry grocery store last week, pushing a cart of six half-full shopping bags, he pulled out a receipt totaling more than $100.

"I feel sorry for people who eat meat," he said. "How are people paying for it?"

Less 'meat and potatoes': Karen Stealey said her Lower Windsor Township family has been making ends meet by buying more chicken and less beef.

And instead of the preferred "meat and potatoes" meals, the Springettsbury Township Wal-Mart Supercenter shopper said she and
her husband and daughter have been eating more spaghetti and casseroles.

Ground beef, milk, chicken, apples, tomatoes, lettuce, coffee and orange juice are among the staples that cost more these days, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index.

Overall food prices rose about 5 percent in 2007, though some items increased more. Over the past year, the national average price of carton of eggs has increased almost 50 percent. The national average price for a carton of grade A large eggs was $2.17 last month -- an increase of almost $1 since February 2006.

In York County last week, the price for store-brand eggs ranged from $1.85 to $2.09.

Among other big movers -- a pound of coffee, which on average cost 57 cents more at year's end than in 2006.

Nationwide, a family of four on a moderate-cost shopping plan now spends an average of $904 each month for groceries, an $80 increase from two years ago, according to the USDA.

Coupon use up: Giant Food Stores spokeswoman Tracy Pawelski said Giant stores are seeing an increase in the number of coupons, though the redemption rate on coupons was already high. The majority of regular shoppers at Giant are using coupons, and one of seven transactions includes the use of a coupon, she said.

To help customers deal with the increasing costs, Giant offers special savings for bonus card holders, including discounts on gas.

"We know that people are feeling the pinch, so we try to be the best choice for value in the stores as well as at the fuel pump," she said.

Weis, Shurfine and other stores also offer club-card deals.

Dover resident Barb Emig, a customer at Giant's Dover store, said she uses her bonus card to save money, preferring to stock up on sale items while the price is low.

"I just cut back on everything," she said. "I don't buy the meats like I used to."

In the soup aisle of the store, Weigelstown residents Tom and Kathy Butler were rationalizing paying more than $6 -- about 10 percent of the couple's weekly food allowance -- for two cartons of Tropicana orange juice.

The couple usually buys generic, but Tom Butler said he's not willing to skimp on the orange juice.

"Some things you like, so you just pay," he said.

--Reach Christina Kauffman at 505-5436 or ckauffman@yorkdispatch.com. The Associated Press contributed to this story.