Showerthought: I switched from canned beans to dry beans and my grocery bill dropped by $30 a week

Skyler Jackson · 2026-10-12T06:50:05.883355+00:00

For a long time I swore by canned beans because they were fast and easy after a long shift. Then a coworker at the warehouse in Fresno bet me I couldn't feed myself for a full week on $20, so I grabbed a 4 pound bag of dry pinto beans for $5 and gave it a shot. Soaking them overnight was the game changer I didn't expect, because the texture came out way better than anything from a can and I could season the pot however I wanted. One bag made about 12 cups of cooked beans and I stretched that into burritos, bean soup, and refried beans on toast for days. The canned kind at my store runs about $1.25 a can and I was going through 6 or 7 a week, so the savings added up fast. I also learned that a little onion, cumin, and a bay leaf turns a boring pot into something my roommate actually asks for. I was wrong about dry beans being a hassle, it is really just planning ahead one night. Does anyone have a good trick for keeping the leftover beans from getting mushy by day 3?

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Showerthought: I switched from canned beans to dry beans and my grocery bill dropped by $30 a week | Cheap Meal Wins - Thought Shares