Vent: I picked dried beans over the canned ones and my grocery bill dropped $23 in one trip
Everyone in my neighborhood group keeps saying the canned beans are just as cheap once you count the time, and I just don't buy it. I did the math at the Hy-Vee here in Des Moines: canned black beans were $1.19 a can, and the one pound bag of dried ones was $1.49 and made about six cans worth. Soaking them overnight costs me nothing, and I toss them in the slow cooker before work, so the "time" is just hours I'm not even home. The first batch came out a little mushy because I let them go too long, but by the second try I had it down. That one swap saved me $23 on a single trip, and I put that toward the good cheese. The canned ones still live in my pantry for nights when I get home at 8 and can't wait on anything, but for planning ahead the dried bag wins easy. So which side are you on, and has anyone figured out a trick to keep them from falling apart in the pot?