CLEVELAND — According to the Consumer Price Index, grocery prices are more than 11% higher this January than last January.
A family of four is spending upwards of $130 more than they normally would.
Single people are shelling out around $30 or more than before.
A grocery shopping app continues to help families save on shopping costs, all while keeping fresh foods out of landfills.
Flashfood is a free download, allowing shoppers to shave off roughly $100 from their monthly grocery bill.
The app and Giant Eagle recently celebrated a milestone.
After a year of working together, they have successfully kept one million pounds of food out of landfills and into the homes of families across the area.
Cleveland area mom and blogger Courtney Ottrix is admittedly constantly seeking out a deal, especially when it comes to finding fresh and healthy foods at the grocery store.
Ottrix runs her own site where she tracks the latest happenings and deals across town.
"With the inflation of groceries, I'm looking for all the help I can get. As a mom of four and a house of six, I need groceries all day, every day. Flashfood has definitely helped," Ottrix said.
Digital marketplace Flashfood has become a saving grace for her and several other shoppers.
Flashfood offers steep discounts on meats, produce, and foods nearing their "best by date".
It even has seasonal discounts, depending on the holiday.
Experts say the "best by date" does not mean the food is nearing expiration.
You typically have an additional five to seven days to consume the foods.
"You can get food for 50% off. You're getting products like dairy, meat, produce," Ottrix said.
The program has helped save shoppers more than $150 million on groceries.
That's roughly $540 a year, at a time for Northeast Ohio shoppers.
You scroll through the options on the app and then check out the deals and add the items to your cart.
"Once it's ordered on the app, you come right to the fridge and you pick exactly what you ordered right out of the fridge," Ottrix said.
Flashfood is 100% free, and there is no service charge or membership fee to use the app.
You must pre-order the items on the app, and then you pick them up in person at the front of the store near the green case.
For more information, click here.
