Cheap Meals Tips: Beans With a Side of Scatological Humor

Sunday, February 14th, 2010

One good way to save money on groceries is to buy dried beans. This is a huge cost saver–1 bag of dried beans is equivalent to 2 – 2 1/2 cans of canned beans but costs between 60 to 80 cents less. Plus, canned beans also have high levels of Bisphenol A which is not a chemical you want to ingest on a regular basis. So dried beans not only save you money, they are also better for your health.

If you haven’t worked with dried beans before, there are some things you need to know. Fortunately, the learning curve is pretty short and sweet here.

When shopping for beans, look in several locations because there may be a significant price difference between grocery aisles (why, I don’t know). Our store, for example, has a bean section in the mac ‘n cheese, Chef Boyardee aisle and then more beans in the Hispanic food aisle. The cheapest bean prices are in the Hispanic food aisle. Makes no sense to me, but that’s how it is. So keep an eye out and compare prices.

Usually dried beans need to be soaked overnight and they have a slightly longer cooking time than canned. However, with some preparation, you can have the convenience of canned beans at a fraction of the cost. Just cook up monthly batches of beans, freeze them and then pull them out as needed for cooking.

The other helpful thing to know is how to make your own baked beans. Although I would run a cost analysis here. If you only eat baked beans a few times a year, it is probably more cost and time effective for you to just buy the cans. Right now baked beans are one of the few veggies my toddler will eat, so she’s keeping me busy on the baked bean front.

Lastly, don’t seal your dried beans in an air tight container for months and months. Beans actually give themselves gas and can literally explode over time if there’s no place for the ‘little bean farts’ to dissipate. (Sorry for the potty humor, I couldn’t resist. It cracks me up to think that beans can explode from their own gas. By the way, this is one of the reasons why you soak them and cook them thoroughly, so they don’t explode in your stomach.)

If you prefer canned beans, at least buy generic brands (this will save between 2-5 cents a can) and try to buy in bulk at you local Sam’s/Costco/BJ’s wholesale club–you might save $1 on 6 cans if you’re lucky. As usual, keep an eye out for sales and stock up.

Are you using dried beans? We do use them quite a lot now, especially in the slow cooker. Beans are great way to s-t-r-e-t-c-h a meal, they make a great filler that is nutritious and tasty.

Tags: baked beans, cheap meals, dried beans
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