Still not sold on dry beans being cheaper than canned

I used to swear by buying bags of dried beans to save money, but after tracking my time and gas costs for a month, I realized canned beans win for me. Between soaking overnight and simmering for 2 hours, plus the extra electricity, I'm only saving about 30 cents per can. Has anyone else done the math and switched back to canned?

2 comments

2 Comments

taraw1626d agoMost Upvoted

Oh wow, that's a really good point about the time and electricity costs! I never even thought to factor in the gas for my stove or the hours of soaking. Did you happen to track how much water you used too, since that adds to the utility bill? I feel like people just look at the price per pound and don't add up all those hidden costs.

thomas29126d ago

Adding to what @taraw16 said about the water - yeah, I figured that in too. The soak water, the cooking water, plus all the rinsing. It's not nothing on a utility bill over a month. Also, nobody talks about the mental cost. Forgetting to soak beans the night before messes up your whole dinner plan you know? Canned beans I just pop open whenever. The real hidden cost for me was the failed batches. Hard beans that never softened, mushy ones that fell apart. That's just wasted money and food right in the trash. With canned I get consistent results every single time. So even if it's 30 cents difference per can, I'll pay that premium for not having to plan my meals 24 hours ahead.