I agree, I find that going to the grocery store and paying upfront for my meals to come is more cost effective than constantly buying fast food. Fast food is not very cheap at all actually. Unless you're buying from the dollar menu, in which case it's $3... for your kids. It's hard to get full on 99c fries and a mini burger.
To provide a single anecdote, I am able to get full on two dollar menu items. You don't have to stick to what they define as a "meal" (i.e. burger, fries, soda). If I'm short on time or cash, I can get two double cheeseburgers, or a chicken sandwich plus a salad, for less than $3, drink a glass and a half of water with it, and be full until the next meal. Whether just anyone can do that is another question.
