Most of the times, gas depletes randomly. We do not have instant cash to refill. In my country, for instance, refilling has gone up to 20 dollars. It has translated to eating in hotels for a few days when the gas gets depleted and I do not have instant cash to refill. I believe it is economical. It helps you get the money for refilling without going hungry.
I don't know the volume of the gas but 20 dollars seems cheap for me. Here in Romania, we pay for gas over 200 dollars for a whole month (with that gas - we are heating the water, we cook or if it is needed we make warm in the house). Now, about eating.....it cost less if you eat in a hotel? Here, if you eat in a hotel is much expensive than eating at home!
Whenever we run out of gas unexpectedly, we use alternatives like dried paper balls, charcoal, firewood, turbo broiler, or rice cooker. Alternatively, there are eateries near our place that sell cooked meals at reasonable prices. An LPG only costs between $8 to $10 per 11 kg cylinder and it's good for two months. It would be more expensive to eat in hotels than buy an LPG refill!
Yes, it has been a problem that there are times when the gas runs out and there is no money to immediately replace it. The good thing for me is that there is an electric range available that may be switched to when there isn't any gas, otherwise, the usual method when this happens is to turn to charcoal which poses a bit of a challenge in its acquiring and handling.
