The sputtering economy and rising prices for goods have claimed a new victim: ice cream.

The price of a small cone with sprinkles at Fajji's Homemade Ice Cream in Perth Amboy has risen from $2.25 to $2.85 during the past year. The cost of ice cream has spiked along with milk, one of its key ingredients.

"Ridiculous, ridiculous, it's too high," Luis Chumpitachi says about the cost. Chumpitachi, of Perth Amboy, says he'll work overtime to cover rising food prices. "All the things going up and we don't have [a] raise at the job," he says.

The store manager at Fajji's Homemade reiterates that the high cost of milk is the main reason for the hike. Add in electricity costs for freezers and air conditioning - plus fuel for delivery trucks ? and she says there is no choice.

"We may not want to go up on the prices, but in order for us to make money we have to," she says.

Some customers of the ice cream shop say a cheaper alternative is an Italian ice. Since they don't contain milk, prices have gone up only about a dime since last summer.