I've heard adding a bit of baking soda to the pot will make them behave.
I'm kinda like you in that I'd rather have real food. I used to have a decent garden and canned, dehydrated, or froze everything. Not so now days. I stock up on store bought canned goods that we normally eat. I was raised by a farm granny so can't sleep at night if the pantry isn't stocked. Hubby recently became one of the unemployed so first thing I did was go through every inch of the kitchen organizing, checking dates, and making sure I knew what we had and what we didn't. Not that I don't keep it organized, but there were still some surprises - mostly to the excess side and only a half dozen things went into the trash. Not long ago, I had done the same for the bathrooms. I'm now working on organizing all the emergency/files/how to info. Then it's on to the large outside stuff. I don't care if my family thinks I've lost my mind - I might have, but it makes me happy.
I find soaking beans overnight and then good long cooking helps tremendously. Chewy beans are not good for innards! I use a pressure cooker for beans.
I am sure hard times are coming, much worse than many people imagine. And then due to lack of work, many individuals and families are having very hard times right now. If I didn’t know how to live cheap I’d be in great anxiety.
Fortunately I’ve always been poor and know how to deal with it! ;-)
I don't care if my family thinks I've lost my mind - I might have, but it makes me happy.
I think your husband should be grateful to have a good wife. Haven't been reading my Bible lately but I do believe I recall reading about the good wife, it appears you are one of those.
And I always thought your name was male. :)