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My grocery bill went from $95 to $65 a week after I started batch cooking beans.
For months, I was buying canned beans for every meal, which added up fast. I switched to buying a 2-pound bag of dry black beans and cooking them all on Sunday. Anyone else find a simple switch like that made a big difference?
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zaranelson6mo ago
But the time and energy cost is huge.
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robin8966mo ago
Actually, the long-term payoff can be way bigger than the upfront cost. If you automate a task that takes two hours a week, you get that time back forever. The energy spent setting it up is a one-time thing, but the savings keep adding up every single day.
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robin8966mo ago
Honestly, the initial setup is the only hard part. Once you get a system down, it's just background noise. I keep my instant pot on the counter and throw in beans while I'm cleaning the kitchen on Sunday. The real hack is freezing them in single meal portions so you're not eating the same thing all week.
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max_schmidt774mo ago
Oh man I totally get where zaranelson is coming from because I used to be exactly the same way. I thought all that prep work was just too much and I was convinced canned beans were the easier option even if they cost more. But then I actually tried it with chickpeas for hummus and something clicked, it takes like 10 minutes of active work to dump dry beans in the instant pot and the rest is just waiting around. Now I look back at all those months I spent opening cans and I feel kinda dumb, the time investment is really just that first Sunday where you figure out your ratios and then it's smooth sailing. I freeze mine in little baggies too like robin896 said and it honestly saves me more time than I spent prepping because I grab one out of the freezer instead of running to the store last minute.
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