Taco Bell One-ups Itself With a New Affordable Value Meal

Fast food is supposed to be quick and cheap, but as prices have skyrocketed in the past few years, fewer families are frequenting fast food chains. The solution? Value meals.

These limited-time options offer more food for less money , and Taco Bell has just rolled out a brand-new value meal: the Grilled Cheese Burrito Bell Bundle.

For $9.99, Taco Bell customers can get a Grilled Cheese Burrito, a Chalupa Supreme, a Cantina Chicken Soft Taco, an avocado salsa verde sauce packet, Cinnamon Twists, and a medium fountain drink.

This seems like a great deal for those who can afford it, but many customers are complaining that the new value meal isn't available at the advertised rate. The $9.99 price tag is the suggested price tag, but locations appear to be charging whatever they want. We had to look no further than our local Taco Bell to discover this is true: It would cost $11.49 to order it now.

This puts the new value meal at a severe disadvantage to the Luxe Cravings Box, which debuted earlier this summer, although that is a whole dollar more locally than the advertised $7.

For an additional $3 (or more), the new box only adds Cinnamon Twists and a single sauce packet — and the Twists only cost $1.39 when bought separately. Unless you're a massive fan of the Grilled Cheese Burrito, the Luxe Cravings Box is probably the better bang for your buck. See how it measures up to other value meals.

1. Taco Bell's Luxe Cravings Box

Courtesy of Taco Bell

Taco Bell's limited-time-only Luxe Cravings Box is $7 and packed with food.

The Luxe Cravings Box includes a Chalupa Supreme, Beefy 5-Layer Burrito, Double Stacked Taco, chips with nacho cheese sauce, and a medium drink. The chain touts this combo meal as less than half the cost of ordering the items individually.

The price does vary by location, so it may cost more for many customers.

Make Money: 8 things to do if you're barely scraping by financially

McDonald's value meals

McDonald's rolled out a $5 meal deal earlier this year, offering customers the choice of a McDouble or McChicken, a four-piece Chicken McNuggets, small fries, and a small soft drink. That may seem like a comparable offer on paper to Taco Bell's new Luxe Cravings Box, but there is a huge difference in the food portions.

Taco Bell vs. McDonald's

McDonald's $5 value meal essentially repackages the dollar menu items and then charges an additional dollar — leaving customers who can do math squinting suspiciously at the "deal."

Taco Bell, on the other hand, genuinely discounts the bundled food.

• Chalupa Supreme : $4.99
• Beefy 5-Layer Burrito: $3.79
• Double Stacked Taco: $1.99
• Chips and nacho cheese sauce: $2.19
• Medium fountain drink: $2.49

That's $15.45 worth of food for just $7.

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Other value meal options

Other fast food chains are trying to cash in on value meals minus the value, seeming to hope consumers won't notice. Burger King recently began offering a $5 Your Way Meal to compete with McDonald's, including a burger (three different options), chicken nuggets, fries, and a drink.

Wendy's countered with a breakfast option for $3, including an English muffin and a side of seasoned potatoes.

Taco Bell has several different meal options, some of which are available for a limited time, but all of which pack more food for your dollar than competitors.

Bottom line

Consumers crave fast and affordable food options , and Taco Bell is the fast food chain pivoting to meet those needs by offering actual value rather than just trying to make it look like value.

That may be changing with their newest Grilled Cheese Burrito Bell Bundle which seems to be testing for the highest price consumers will pay for a value meal.

Taco Bell is still the first choice for families on a budget looking for a quick meal during vacations, adventures, and other family outings that make the most of the season, but you'll want to grab these limited time value meals before the price continues to rise.

Money tips that can work for everyone

No matter what your bank account balance is, there's always an opportunity to optimize and improve your finances. Here's a quick checklist of things you can look at today.

Focus on paying off your debt . Debt can hold you back from making progress with your overall financial well-being. Aside from cutting expenses, there are tools that can help you pay off debt faster like balance transfer credit cards and debt counseling.

Earning extra income can give you breathing room. If finances are tight, earning some extra money to supplement your income can make a huge difference. A new job is one option to consider, but if you're not ready to make a big change or already retired, a part-time side job could be a better choice.

Cut your expenses. It sounds painful and so not fun, but it doesn't have to be. Take a look at your biggest expenses because that's where you'll probably find the biggest savings. For example, auto insurance rates have been soaring so shopping around for a new insurance company can be the fastest way to cut your bill. Also, look for ways to cut your grocery bill (despite rising inflation).