<p class="ingestion featured-caption">The author outside of an HEB grocery store.Cork Gaines/Business Insider</p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Inflation is still hitting Americans hard at the grocery store.</li><li>The high prices have me looking for new ways to save while shopping for my family.</li></ul><p>While <a target="_blank" rel href="https://www.businessinsider.com/high-inflation-goods-durables-deflation-groceries-expensive-federal-reserve-cars-2023-12"><u>inflation</u></a> has come down quite a bit this year, one place where Americans are still being hit hard is at the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/grocery-prices-heb-walmart-costco-food-prices-comparison-best-deals-2023-12"><u>grocery store</u></a>.</p><p>Overall inflation peaked at a year-over-year rate of<strong> </strong>9.1% in June 2022. However, food at home prices (i.e., food you bring home from the grocery store) were hit even harder, reaching 13.5% in August of the same year. While that number was just 1.7% in November, we are not seeing <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/high-inflation-goods-durables-deflation-groceries-expensive-federal-reserve-cars-2023-12">deflation</a> like we are starting to see in other areas.</p><p>Since January 2020, grocery prices are up just over 25% as of November 2023, outstripping the roughly 19% increase in overall prices. That means, in addition to being hard on Americans' wallets, sticker shock at the grocery store has been a gut punch.</p><p>I do the grocery shopping for a family of four, and the current economy has turned it into something that can be both stressful and a bit of a game.</p><p>One good thing about inflation is that it has forced us to be more price-conscious, and I am willing to put in a little effort to see how low our grocery bill can go. With the aid of a few apps, our family<strong> </strong>is now spending about 20% less on groceries than before inflation started to soar.</p><p>Here are the apps we use to fight inflation and save money.</p>