Here in Australia I can buy 500g of lean beef mince, 500g of spaghetti and a 500g jar of tomato pasta sauce for around A$10. That much food makes 4-5 servings of Spaghetti. (and you probably only need about 1/2-2/3 of the packet of spaghetti). Oh and that pasta only takes about 15-20 minutes to cook depending on how long the water takes to boil.
To get food for 4 people from any of the fast food options in my area I would need to spend at least A$20 if not more and I would get food that is less healthy AND less filling. To buy, say, a 4-person serving of a preprocessed frozen heat-and-eat pasta would also cost more than the A$10 it costs to make it myself.
Is it really so bad in America that its cheaper to buy the unhealthy preprocessed crap than it is to buy actual ingredients and make it yourself? (oh and btw, the A$10 price could be reduced by buying cheaper mince with a bit more fat as well as cheaper supermarket brand pasta and sauce)