Drive-through fast-food outlets proliferated in the suburbs for a reason: between SUV trips to the soccer field and dance class and music lessons and homework club there isn't much time for the grocery store, let alone the kitchen. Just how is a Soccer Mom or Dad supposed to put a nutritious meal on the table every night? Well, how about putting all the week's meals together at once and packing them off to the freezer? Then it would be goodbye drive-in, hello microwave. Taking a cue from the prepared cuisine stocking grocery-store aisles and freezers a new breed of meal-preparation services is springing up across the country to cater to time-starved families. Part cooking school, part chef show and part communal cookout, these operations allow a family to create an entire menu for days on end all at one sitting -- making it easier to find time to sit down around the table on otherwise crammed school nights. In our lead story, reporter Stephanie I. Cohen looks at the latest trend in family dining and tells you what you might expect to pay for a dozen meals or so that will feed four to six at a pop. Read her story, plus see why a new study is questioning the conventional wisdom that baby boomers are in love with second homes and check out Paul B. Farrell's haunting tale of dead mutual funds that return to suck the life out of your returns, on Tuesday's Personal Finance pages. Here's one catch though: If you're too busy to prepare simple meals each weeknight, where the heck are you going to find the two or three hours to set aside on the weekends, which can easily be more jam-packed with obligations, for that chore? Steve Kerch, assistant managing editor/personal finance FOODMeal-preparation outlets cater to time-starved families Leftovers and microwave meals, longstanding staples in the kitchens of time-pressed American families, may have to compete for shelf space with a new kind of handmade convenience fare. Meal-assembly stores that offer do-it-yourself dinners are popping up to help busy families solve the six o'clock scramble -- picking a menu and figuring out whether you have the ingredients to make it. These outlets help customers put together more than a week's worth of freezer-ready meals in less than two hours. See full story.REAL ESTATEStudy finds baby boomers aren't as hot on vacation homes as believed Baby boomers may not be as in love with second homes as once thought. The rate of second-home ownership among 50- to 60-year-olds has remained flat during the 12-year period between 1992 and 2004, according to a report released Monday. See full story.Smelly carpets, meet silver ions The battle against bad smells is moving to a new front. For years, makers of room deodorants and plug-in air fresheners were the big players in the home-odor-fighting business. But lately, textile manufacturers have entered the fray. They've taken some of the home's most odor-absorbent materials, re-engineered them, and created a host of new products that promise to neutralize bad smells. See story from RealEstateJournal.Why Fed might keep rates on hold longer Investors looking for a road map to the Federal Reserve's next moves on interest rates often look to 1995. At the time, the Fed had raised interest rates steadily after a long period of unusually low rates. With the U.S. economy slowing, it paused for five months and then started cutting rates. Many investors have been looking for that cycle to repeat itself and expect the Fed, which last raised interest rates in June, to begin cutting rates at some point in the next few months. See story from RealEstateJournal.TRAVELFlying this fall? Here's how to get an upgrade With airlines cutting back on services left and right, your only shot at a comfortable flight might be in business or first class -- and those tickets aren't cheap. All is not lost. Tripso.com, a leading travel Web site, offers the following tips for increasing your chances of scoring a free upgrade: See Marshall Loeb's Daily Money Tip.MUTUAL FUNDS