Yes I hate to do that! A lot of small businesses won't take a credit card for a sale under $5, and with good reason.
True confession: I quite often will get a drink at Sonic. There is one less than 1/2 mile from me. If you put the Sonic app on your phone, you can use it like a prepaid card, AND drinks are ALWAYS half price when ordered on the app. So when I am about to leave the house, I order my drink on the app, mark ASAP for pickup, get there, check in with the app and give my stall number. PRESTO my drink appears! One of the carhops told me they get an alert that sounds like a doorbell inside, when someone checks in. They check the stall number, get the food, and deliver it. It's a pretty slick app. Frugal AND convenient!