The money-saving grocery strategy hiding in your pantry

As shoppers continue to look for ways to save at the grocery store amid rising food prices, USA TODAY reached out to experts to get some money-saving tips.

Cooking at home is going to give the "biggest bang for your buck" when it comes to your budget, especially over choices like ordering through food delivery apps or eating out, said Brian Vines, marketplace reporter for Consumer Reports.

"But cooking at home in itself cannot save you money if you're not doing the right things with your shopping," Vines told USA TODAY.

"I'm noticing folks being a lot more intentional about how they are doing their food spend because unlike your mortgage or your rent or other fixed costs, shopping and cooking at home represents one of those places where you have the opportunity to save the most," he said.

Vines said by some of his estimates, as much as $5,000 a year can be saved by "shopping smart" and applying those savings to other parts of your budget.

The cost of groceries, or food away from home, was 2.2% higher in August than a year earlier, according to the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index. Several studies…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/money/