Thinking about meals for the week can be really stressful - you don't know what you're going to fancy on each day, and it can lead to arguments between family members if of you fancies fish, and the other is craving chicken.
Getting all the ingredients can be quite an expensive affair too, and if you forget to buy something, it can ruin the whole dish. Thankfully the surge in meal kit providers has offered people more meal inspiration - as well as convenience.
When you get a meal kit from companies like Gousto or Hello Fresh, the ingredients are delivered fresh to your door, and you choose the recipes you fancy the week before - it can make you feel super organised.
The meals claim to be healthy and delicious, and take all the drama out of choosing what you want to eat on a given day.
Emma Gill at the Manchester Evening News decided to give the kits a go as she was enticed in by the initial sign-up discount - and was left impressed with the outcome.
She explained the idea behind the popular boxes: "The concept is simple, you sign up for however many meals you want for however many people. And when you've picked which dishes you want, you get everything you need to make those dishes delivered in a box on your doorstep.
"When I say everything, I mean everything. Typically cooking something new for the family would involve writing a list of ingredients - some of which you've never heard of and don't even know what they look like - and heading to the supermarket in search of them all.
"It can be a painful, lengthy task and the result is usually five jars of spice that you use just once, before finding them three years later covered in dust at the back of the cupboard. You see the main point with these is to reduce that waste. To get precisely what you need for that one meal and no more.
"It works a treat. We had little packets of all sorts in both boxes to bring the food to life without having to waste money on bay leaves and paste and goodness knows what else, when such a small amount is all that's needed.
"Part of the reason we often end up eating the same meals time and time again is because it's simply not affordable to buy so many ingredients and use so little of them."
Many people will be able to relate to this, and will be keen to try the boxes, which come with the ingredients in the exact portion you need it.
And, they even come with the recipe cards to help you to make the meal with ease.
Emma continued: "The meals from both were delicious. The clue's in the name with Hello Fresh isn't it, but the veg from both seemed so much fresher than what you'd get from the supermarket, even when it was eaten a couple of days after being delivered.
"Trust me, I'm not one to rave about any sort of vegetable, but the fine green beans with Gousto's garlic and herb stuffed chicken with sweet potato mash, were something else.
"And I can't say I'd even heard of bacon jam, but I doubt I'll ever want a different accompaniment to a chicken burger ever again.
"The children didn't like everything - of course they didn't, they're kids and when one likes something you usually find the other doesn't. It's a brutal fact of parenting simply to make it that bit more difficult.
"But there was plenty they did like, with Hello Fresh's honey and mustard sausage traybake and Gousto's big flavour beef lasagne, particular hits.
"With over 44 recipes a week to choose from at Hello Fresh and over 75 a week at Gousto, there's something to suit all tastes.
"Price wise there isn't much in it and you're looking at around £50 for a box of four meals for four people, so around £3 per person, per meal. You can make it cheaper if your children are younger and only on small portions of course.
"While for some people that's no big deal, with the way many households are struggling with budgets right now, it would be a luxury for many."
So, the meal kits got a big thumbs up from Emma, and it's easy to see why - the fresh ingredients and the ease means that it's an attractive idea.
Her final thoughts were: "It's definitely something we'll do again. It was too nice not to. And I can see why it's a no brainer for couples who perhaps have a little more money to spend and don't have to worry about the little people not liking the food.
"I'm glad we gave it a go, but in some ways, it was a bad idea, because when I'm defrosting a pack of mince for our next bolognese or cottage pie or whatever - meals my friend amusingly refers to as '50 shades of mince' family meals - now we know what we're missing out on."
You can find out more about Hello Fresh and Gousto on their websites.
Will you be trying a meal kit? Let us know in the comments.
