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My parents still tell of spilling milk streak I had as a child at the dinner table.

From the age of 5 to almost 6 they said it was a nightly tradition.

Even though we were covered in milk it was a great bonding time.

Now more than ever it’s also a good idea to save some cash!

If you aren’t gathering at night around the table, here are some ideas I wanted to share that might motivate you to do so. Depending on the household scenario some, most or all of this might apply!

8 REASONS TO MAKE TIME FOR FAMILY DINNER

Eating meals together goes beyond the opportunity for bonding and relaxing. And despite the feeling that there’s no time for such luxuries, 59% of families report eating dinner together at least five times a week—an increase from only 47% in 1998, according to the Importance of Family Dinner IV, a report from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University.

If you’re finding it difficult to get together with your family at the dinner table, here’s a little inspiration:

1. Kids might learn to love their veggies.

A 2000 survey found that the 9- to 14-year-olds who ate dinner with their families most frequently ate more fruits and vegetables and less soda and fried foods. Their diets also had higher amounts of many key nutrients, like calcium, iron, and fiber. Family dinners allow for both “discussions of nutrition [and] provision of healthful foods,” says Matthew W. Gillman, MD, the survey’s lead researcher and the director of the Obesity Prevention Program at the Harvard Medical School.