Even worse than the fact that by spending the extra cash on these prepackaged foods, you are negating a lot of your earnings; even worse than the unhealthy diet these foods can produce; kids raised on these items don't like and often will never eat the healthful choices available at a lower price.   (Conversely, those who have always eaten a natural, home-cooked meal often gack at pre-packaged pre-cooked food.  Once in a while I give in and am almost always sorely disappointed.

Many homemakers have come up with creative solutions.  I know of some that swap meals with a neighbor.  (We did this to a degree once with my daughter: swapped kids on some meals).   My niece prepared a weeks worth of meals on the weekend, freezing what wouldn't keep.   Some professionals hire a good cook or a chef to come in every other week, cook and freeze, and label with instructions.   When I worked part time I collected recipes for my own "mixes" and stuck them in the freezer for freshness.  Others learn new skills that enable them to cut down on kitchen time, such as pre-cooking part of the meal the evening before, or using crock pots, or leaving oven-ready foods in the fridge with instructions for the first person home to immediately put the item in to cook.

I have three other suggestions: 

• Involve the family;  family time doesn't have to be sports and camping, it can be food preparation as well.
   
• Turn off the soaps and watch the food channels sometimes.  Rather than concentrating on the recipes, watch the chefs' hands and how they prepare the food.  Not all have equal skills, (in fact, some are downright pokey or have everything neatly chopped and arranged ahead by someone else) but by watching a good cook that actually prepares most of the meal in real time, you can find out how to cut hours a week off your prep time.
   
• Invest in kitchen equipment to make the work easier - depending on your diet - perhaps an electric grill, a slow cooker, food processor, mixer, non stick pans...