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Rant: Everyone says dried beans save money but I did the math on a $1.29 can and I am not so sure
I finally sat down with a receipt last week after my sister swore I was throwing money away on canned beans. She said a bag of dried pintos at the HEB near me runs about $1.79 for a pound and makes six cups cooked, while a can costs $1.29 and gives you maybe one and a half cups. On paper she wins by a mile. But here is what nobody counts: I ran my stove for close to two hours simmering those beans, plus the soak overnight, plus the pot I had to scrub, and I work nights so that whole project ate my only free morning. I also tossed half a batch two months ago when I forgot them on the counter and they went sour, which was basically two dollars in the trash. So I did the honest math with my electric bill and the waste and the time, and canned came out almost even for how I actually live. I still keep a bag of dried black beans in the pantry for chili on my day off, but for a Tuesday dinner after a ten hour shift, the can wins and I am done feeling bad about it. Has anyone actually tracked the power cost on a long simmer, or am I the only one doing bean math at my kitchen table?
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lucasjackson3d ago
This is the same thing that happens with everything "cheaper" once you add up the hidden costs nobody puts on the price tag. Gardening, home repairs, even brewing your own coffee, the sticker price looks great until you count your hours and the stuff you waste. The math only works if your time is free and you never mess up, which is not how real life goes for most of us.
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