But eating out doesn’t have to mean eating expensive. Despite inflated prices, there are plenty of ways to get a satisfying meal–or something close to it–without treating every trip to the drive-thru or restaurant like a special occasion. The trick is knowing where value is hiding.

Here are five options worth knowing for feeding your family on the cheap.

Chili’s 3 For Me

Chili’s probably isn’t the first place you think of when someone says “budget meal.” But its 3 For Me deal is the best value in America right now–fast-food very much included.

The concept is simple: pick a starter (I choose unlimited chips & salsa), entree (the monthly promo burger is the cheapest), and beverage (Coke Zero ’till I die) for one bundled price. The menu starts at $11 for the burger special and max out at $17 depending on the dish. But the burger is so big, my wife and I can even split it for lunch with the chips and fries making up the rest. What’s more, Chili’s will even send you home with chips and salsa to go. 

Even with a 25% tip, that’s less than $15 total for two adults at a full, sit-down restaurant. Over the last two years, that brilliant idea has single-handedly catapulted Chili’s into the fastest growing restaurant in America. Why eat inferior fast-food for more when Chili’s exists?

Macey’s soft serve

Macey’s is a Utah institution and the best place to score soft serve ice cream for significantly less than anywhere else. Better yet, you get more than you pay for — creamy, flavorful, and extra smooth soft serve. 

For a cone (or cup), prices range from $.50 for a decent size “baby” serving and up to $2.50 for a massive, foot-tall “King Kone.” You can get vanilla (my favorite), chocolate, or swirl. If you really want to splurge, order the “off menu” Moose Tracks sundae for $5 and an ungodly amount of real fudge. 

Instead of taking the whole family to a traditional ice cream parlor and watching the register climb to uncomfortable amounts, grab a cone at Macey’s and call it good. 

Rancho Markets ready-to-eat

Rancho Markets is technically a grocery store, but this fantastic place combines exotic groceries with latin bakeries, bulk taco meats, an in-store Mexican restaurant, and a refrigerated to-go area serving fresh food and desserts a la tres leches in a cup for a few dollars. I love it and even buy fresh Pan de Muertos or Three Kings Cake on special occasions.  

Basically, it’s the kind of place where your grocery run can double as your dinner plan. And don’t ignore the weekly specials on fantastic fruit as all of its Utah locations. As I wrote in the past, not only is Rancho affordable, it’s like stepping into a foreign world with really friendly workers who are happy to speak Gringo for those who don’t speak Spanish. 

Sam’s Club food court

Both Costco and Sam’s Club are known for their $1.50 giant hot dog and unlimited drink combo. On a “calorie per dollar” basis, there is no cheaper place to fill your belly and elevate your sodium levels than with one of these deals. But unlike Costco, you don’t need a membership to enjoy Sam’s Club savings at their food court. Just walk up to the cafe counter, place your order, and pay in cash, card, or phone pay. 

If hot dogs aren’t your thing, you can spend a dollar more for a giant slice of cheese, pepperoni, or meat-lovers pizza. Or $9 for an entire 16″ pizza. Or $1.50 for a berry or brownie sundae. The point is, don’t sleep on Sam’s Club (or Costco with membership) when it comes to snagging a cheap, comfort–albeit unhealthy–meal at rock bottom prices. 

Gas stations quick deals

Convenience stores are usually where people go to spend $8 on overpriced snacks they didn’t intend to buy. But they can also be surprisingly useful for cheap food, as they regularly sell unsold fresh baked and overstocked foods on clearance tables, not to mention in-app discounts on dirty sodas that put Swig to shame. 

In recent years, both Maverik and 7-Eleven have gained reputations for serving up hot food for less than most fast-food joints. Neither are as cheap as Sam’s Club, mind you, but they are more convenient, faster, and cheaper than fast-food. 

Granted, normal convenience-store pricing can erase the savings pretty quickly. But if you’re smart about it, you can get really good hot food deals at Maverik, 7-Eleven, and others. 

Blake Snow contributes to fancy publications and Fortune 500 companies as a bodacious writer-for-hire and seasoned travel journalist to all seven continents. He lives in Provo, Utah with his wife, five children, and one ferocious chihuahua.