I was always kind of afraid of dealing with beans but it's made out to be harder than it is. A can of beans is now approaching $1 US, and I use them quite frequently in soups and chili, etc. Well, a pound of dry beans also costs around $1 US (or $2 US, depending on make and model) - but a pound of dry beans makes roughly about 6 cans' worth of beans. From a cost perspective, it's a no-brainer.
Pictured: my favorite, Navy beans, which have an almost ham-like flavor to them - and they're the cheapest, about $1.29/lb by me at the blue box, I'm sure you could get them cheaper at bulk stores.
Beans need to be kept in the fridge and will go bad if you don't use them in less than a week unless you use salt, so I do. With salt, they keep for up to two weeks, maybe more, I couldn't really say because I use them (also they taste better with salt, obviously).
Easy to make, too. They tell you to meticulously look for rocks, I just don't have time for that. Never ran into one yet. I fill a medium pan with 3-4 cups of water, 1/2 Tbs kosher salt and 1/2 lb (~225g) beans sometime before I go to bed. In the morning, I turn the burner on high until it boils (~7 minutes - be careful, it will boil over) and then turn to lowest setting, put a lid on (slightly cocked) and let them simmer for 2 hours. After that, drain them in a colander and run cold water on them until they lose their heat, put them in a container and into the fridge until you need them in soup or chili or whatever.
Worried that beans can be toxic because you heard that somewhere? That's only bigger beans like Kidney beans and in any case the cooking is what kills the toxicity (boiling for >30m). Small beans like navy beans and red beans you don't have to sweat it at all. In theory you should also drain/replace the water after the soaking to eliminate flatulence-inducing saccharides. I just don't and honestly can't tell any difference, but you may be more or less sensitive than I am.
Enjoy your beans!
