• The Cincinnati Enquirer/AP, Friday, May 16, 2008 10:15 AM

Consumers are trying to control their food bills by buying smaller-size items as they grapple with soaring prices. Companies have taken note, experimenting with different measures, like ¾-gallon milk jugs and pies that have shrunk to six inches.

Kroger, for example, is testing the ¾-gallon milk under its store brand in 77 stores in Greater Cincinnati and northern Kentucky. At one Cincinnati store, the new size was priced at $2.49, the gallon was priced at $2.80. "It's a good price for what you get, and it doesn't spoil before you can use it," says one shopper.

While plenty of shoppers are still buying in bulk--helping boost sales at warehouse-club operators like Costco--the growing trend of buying in bits is the latest sign of how cash-strapped many people have become. Part of it may be psychological: Consumers can't adjust to having to pay $60 at once to fill their gas tank, or spend $150 on the weekly food bill.

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