Meal planning. Some people love the thought. Others get glassy-eyed at the mere mention of such a thing. However, when faced with a hungry family and a poorly stocked fridge at 6:00 p.m., most people quickly understand the benefits of sketching out a meal plan every week. If you've never tried it before, here are a few reasons to get in the meal planning habit.

• Planning saves time. Rather than running to the grocery store every day to pick up last-minute items, you can shop once a week with your complete list in hand. You'll save gas, too, with fewer trips to the market.
  
• Get more for your buck. Planning your weekly meals means you buy only what you plan to consume. No more wilted veggies or stale breads. Scouring the Sunday circulars and choosing meals based on sale items also saves money.
  
• You'll look ahead. Maybe Wednesday is chock-full of activities with swimming lessons, a volunteer project, and puppy kindergarten. A planning session helps you breeze through the busiest days. Frozen dinners, like Michelina's products, are perfect for evenings like this. They're quick, tasty and nutritious.
  
• Back-of-the-fridge surprises disappear. When you make a weekly plan, include leftovers. For example, Monday's grilled chicken breasts can become Tuesday's fajitas. Giving leftovers a specific place in the rotation means they won't be relegated to the trash in a week.
  
• Involve the entire family. Let each person choose the menu for a designated night. Or start a Friday Pizza or Monday Meatball tradition to keep things simple and fun. Kids tend to be better eaters when they have a say in the menu.
  

Most of all, planning ahead makes it easier for your family to sit down to a meal together. The biggest benefit of all just may be the time you spend sharing food with one another.