Stretching your dollars when it comes to mealtime isn’t
difficult, but it can be a bit of a hassle if you don’t know where to find
affordable food. If you’re looking for alternatives to fast food that are still pretty cheap, then check out these super cheap
places to get some grub:

Costco

$1.99 for two giant slices of pizza? $9.99 for an entire
pizza? $1.50 for a hot dog and a soda with free refills? It sounds too good to
be true, but for Costco shoppers, it’s a reality. If the food counter is
outside of the warehouse, then you don’t even need to be a member to get access
to the super cheap, prepared food Costco sells, which includes the above items,
salads, smoothies, chicken bakes, and more.

Ikea

Ikea locations may be far apart, but if you live near one visit
their food court for a meal one day. You can get a full breakfast for a dollar,
lunch entrees for less than $3 and Swedish meatballs for half the price you’d
pay for a similar product at a grocery store.

7-Eleven

7-Eleven has cheap food, cheap drinks, and great Slurpees!
If you download the official 7-Eleven app, you could score even more discounts
and receive occasional free offers, like a free small Slurpee or a free bag of
chips with the purchase of a hot dog! You can also find food coupons online to use
in 7-Eleven stores for even greater discounts than the ones offered in the
store (especially if you can find some manufacturers’ coupons!).

Denny’s

Denny’s has a great “Value Menu” with meals ranging from $2,
$4, $6, and $8. These include breakfast items, such as the $2 stack of two
pancakes or $4 bottomless pancakes. Denny’s other menu items are somewhat more
expensive, but compared to other restaurants, it’s definitely more affordable.
As an added bonus, Denny’s is open 24 hours per day!

Home

If you’re tight on cash, then why go out at all? Eating at
home can be healthier, in addition to saving you money on gas and food. For starters,
changing your food habits will help you reduce food waste and save more money on
your grocery budget. For cheap produce and other healthy items, visit your
local 99 cent or dollar store and see what selection they have available.
Discount warehouse stores like Costco (listed above) and Sam’s Club also have
cheap produce in bulk quantities. If cost is more important than healthiness,
then there’s always $0.10 packets of ramen noodles, but they’re best mixed with
other foods such as meats (hot dogs work for those on a budget) for maximum
nutritional quality.

Kelly Kehoe is a staff writer for Money Street Smart and works with SumoCoupon.com, a site full coupons and
coupon codes.