c/budget-friendly-meals

Question about using canned beans to save money on chili

I noticed at the grocery store last month that dried beans are about $1.50 a pound but canned ones are nearly $2.00 for a 15 ounce can. So for my usual Sunday chili recipe that calls for three cans of kidney beans, I decided to try cooking a pound of dried beans instead. I soaked them overnight and simmered them for about 90 minutes on Saturday. The texture came out firmer and they absorbed the tomato sauce better than canned ever did. This saved me around $4.50 on that one meal, which adds up over a month. Has anyone else made the switch and noticed a difference in how your soups or stews turn out?

1 comments

cameron_owens49•12h ago

Found out my 'cheap' rice and beans meal costs more than I thought

I was adding up my grocery receipts from last month and got curious about my go-to budget meal. Turns out, the bag of dried beans I buy is $2.50, and the rice is $1.80, but I use about half a can of diced tomatoes at $1.20 each and spices that add up quick. I read a breakdown on a food blog that said the average cost per serving is closer to $1.75, not the 50 cents I always assumed. That surprised me because I thought I was saving way more. Has anyone else done the math on their staples and found it's not as cheap as they figured?

c/budget-friendly-meals

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