If you’re like me, September always felt a little like January.
Full of energy. Big plans to get organized. Maybe you bought color-coded folders, set them out on the counter, one for each kid’s papers, and put a chart on the fridge mapping out everyone’s schedule. You set up a new meal planning system and declared that this was going to be the year dinner was organized in advance every night of the week.
You pictured the whole family running like a well-oiled machine, on time, well-fed, gathered around the table at night.
It’s a nice picture, isn’t it? I know it well, because it was mine too, almost every September.
Now it’s October. The days are shorter and it’s dark by dinnertime. The goals are still there, and so is the desire. But your enthusiasm might be running a little low, or the days are just getting away from you.
If you’re looking back at September thinking “maybe that wasn’t realistic,” it might just be time for a mini reset.
When the Novelty Wears Off
The first few weeks of a new routine run on excitement. Then the novelty fades, and you catch yourself thinking, this is a pain, or I’ll wing it this week and get back to it next week.
In our house, by October the after-school activities were in full swing. We’d all accepted that summer was truly over, and we were back to a much busier weekly schedule.
Every new school year brings a new schedule. New practice times, maybe new school start times. Or maybe a new project at work is taking more time than you expected. Whatever the case, you might not have planned for how much time it takes to keep everything going once real life kicks back in.
And when the week gets that tight, dinner is usually the first thing to give. It tends to land somewhere between “hello, pizza delivery” and “hello, fridge with nothing in it for dinner.”
Falling back into old habits is a pretty normal part of starting something new. It doesn’t mean you can’t do it. It usually means the plan didn’t account for how full your weeks actually got.
Make a Short List
When you hit that point, the instinct is to double down on everything or just let it all go. Usually neither works well.
Here’s what I learned about the elaborate systems I tried to put in place. The folders, the charts and the color coding all take daily energy and management to keep up. I think I tried them all. (In fact, my grown kids still joke about the sticker chore chart I tried, with different stickers for each task and a different color for each kid. I think most of the stickers ended up decorating my youngest’s pencil case.) For some people these systems click. For a lot of us, they’re hard to sustain, especially in October when energy is lower.
So instead of rescuing every September goal and organizational system, look back at your list and pick the one or two that matter most to you right now.
Why Dinner Belongs on the Short List
For many families, feeding everyone well and keeping grocery spending in check are worth a spot. Here’s why.
First, it has a much greater impact than any sticker chart or color-coded folder system will. As I work through my master’s in nutrition, what keeps striking me is how much food matters, for kids and for adults. Our brains, our hearts, our energy. Basically every part of our well-being. Getting your family to the table for wholesome meals a few nights a week is one of the most meaningful things you can do for them. And dinners around the table are about much more than the food. If you want some inspiration, check out this touching video on a previous blog post.
Second, food is one of the biggest monthly expenses for most households. Yet it’s often the one we plan least. We wing it, make extra trips, and grab takeout when there’s no plan. When I first started planning our dinners around my store’s specials, the system that eventually became The Dinner Daily, my husband and I were amazed at how much we saved just by getting organized ($347 the first month!). A little structure here can free up money for the things you care about, whether that’s the college fund, the holidays, or paying down debt.
And compared to the folders and charts, dinner is easier to put on autopilot. Once the plan is made and the shopping (or online order) is done for the week, most of the deciding is behind you. You’re not starting from scratch every evening. You just follow the plan, without the nightly decision fatigue.
What a Dinner Reset Can Look Like
If dinner makes your short list, here’s a simple way to get back on track:
- Plan three nights, not seven. Leave room for leftovers and a no-cook night. Three planned dinners beats zero.
- Look at your calendar first. Put the slow cooker or make-ahead meal on your busiest night, and save the meal with more stovetop time for a lighter evening.
- Give planning a set time. Sunday morning, Saturday afternoon, whatever fits. Treat it like an appointment. And if you don’t have the time or just don’t want to think about it, you can lean on us.
- Make leftovers on purpose. Cook a bigger batch Monday so Tuesday is already handled.
- Start with the flyer. Check what’s on sale at your store before you pick meals. It’s one of the simplest ways to bring your grocery spending down and buy what’s in season. We do this every week for grocery stores across the country, and we’ve found it can save you between 20% and 25% on groceries.
Your October Reset
You don’t have to recommit to everything you dreamed up in September. If the color-coded folders aren’t working, let them go.
Pick your one or two. If dinner is one of them, start small, get a plan in place, and let it carry some of the load. That weeknight habit you’re tempted to drop is tied to things that matter to you. It’s worth holding onto, even when you’re tired of the routine.
Want Some Help Getting a Plan in Place?
The Dinner Daily builds you a personalized weekly dinner plan based on what’s on sale at your local grocery store. So you know what’s for dinner, you have what you need, and you’re not overspending to get there. Your first two weeks are free.
