lol i guess not being married and having no kids is different. plus maybe i'm a little different. i remember my parents would get home from work, and their philosophy would be more like "what can I make for dinner with what we have?". my philisophy is more like "well, I want to make this so I'm going to the store to get it." but then again, I only cook on my days off, and not after a long day at work. after a long day at work, mickey d's does my cooking.
but a lot of the sauces don't take that long to make, most can be done within 30 minutes. you can use either canned beef and chicken broth for the stock, or the paste form that you mix with hot water. as long as you start the reduction first thing, then you can do all of your prep, and then cook the rest of the dish while the sauce is finishing up. but then again, i only cook for my girlfriends, and friends that come over, and none of them have kids. probably most kids just rather have a box of mac 'n cheese with hot dogs?