At the Morris house, turkey isn't just for Thanksgiving.

Sarah Morris regularly buys a turkey or turkey breast on sale. She roasts the birds not only for dinners, but for sandwich meat, turkey salad and soups. She freezes what she can't use right away, so she has meals stashed away for days or weeks ahead.

When turkey is priced as low as 38 cents a pound, as it was recently when she bought one, "you cannot beat it," Morris said.

That's one way Morris saves money on her grocery bill. In a struggling economy fraught with layoffs and uncertainty, we should all tap into a little thriftiness.

Food prices continue to rise. While overall consumer prices dropped in the most recent monthly Consumer Price Index in October, food prices kept going up, and the U.S. Agriculture Department predicts food prices will increase 3.5 percent to 4.5 percent in 2009, compared to an estimated 5 to 6 percent for 2008.

Despite higher prices, shaving costs from your food bill is not impossible. In some ways, it's not even difficult.

But it takes some planning.

Morris, who lives in New Kent County, said she plans menus two weeks in advance and tries to limit her trips to the grocery store. By planning, she's able to know exactly what she wants and look for sales at specific stores or use coupons.

Another key: shopping discipline.

"Only buy what's on your list!" she said.

Home economist Karla Jones Seidita also suggests shopping smartly and being an educated consumer. Avoid trendy foods -- whether that be expensive processed foods or out-of-season produce with a lofty price tag -- and stick to the basics.

"A great rule of thumb when you go into a grocery store is look at what they're stocking their shelves with," said Seidita, who lives in Fauquier County and publishes an online magazine, "Karla's Cooking Made Easy" (www.cheesecakefarms.com).

"That's the stuff they're making the most money on: canned foods, cake mixes, frozen dinners, cereal. So if you can make some of those things yourself, you're going to save a bundle."

When it comes to canned soups, you can save money and eat healthier, she said.

A pot of split pea soup, made from a bag of dried peas, costs little and is simple to make, and soups are a great way to utilize leftovers.

"We have a soup at our house that we call 'Cream of Refrigerator' soup," Seidita said. "We look and see what's in the refrigerator, pull it out, and then add a can of tomatoes. Everything works together and tastes good."

The planned use of leftovers in soups, casseroles and lunch boxes is a resourceful way to save money, said Kimberly Edmonds, family and consumer sciences extension agent with the Virginia Cooperative Extension-Henrico County.

"If there is food waste in your household, ask yourself why," Edmonds said. "Are you buying food in the right quantities? Is food refused or left on the plate? Are servings too large? Is the food cooked properly?"

Contact Bill Lohmann at (804) 649-6639 or wlohmann@timesdispatch.com