Update: my neighbor Rosa got me to try dried beans instead of canned and I'm not going back
I was complaining about my grocery bill to Rosa, who lives two doors down, and she said dried pinto beans cost about $1.50 a bag and make six or seven meals worth. I tried it last week with a pound of beans and a leftover ham bone, and I got five lunches out of it for maybe $2 total. The soaking part takes planning, but the actual cooking is just leaving the pot alone for an hour. Does anyone have a good trick for woke up late and forgot to soak them?