Simplify Back-to-School Routines with One Simple Trick

Simplify Back-to-School Routines with One Simple Trick As a new school year begins, life gets busy fast. Between school drop-offs and pick-ups, homework, extracurriculars, and everything in between, household routines can quickly fall by the wayside. But what if I told you there's a simple trick to help you stay on track and simplify one of the most stressful parts of the day: dinner? One of my go-to methods is all about using a shared family calendar. For every night (sometimes I am two weeks out and sometimes I am 2 days out), I create a new event that lists what's for dinner. It's a small step that makes a huge difference.

The "Make Double and Leftovers Are Golden" Method. This simple strategy relies on a core principle: cook once, eat twice. When I'm planning meals, I always look for recipes I can easily double. For example, if I'm making lasagna, I'll make two instead of one. If I'm cooking chili, I'll make a bigger batch. This way, we only cook about half the week, and the other nights are dedicated to delicious leftovers (which are indicated on the calendar as “Leftovers” or “Leftovers & Seeded Bread loaf”).

These simple routines helps in a few key ways:

• Smarter Grocery Shopping: The person doing the food shopping knows exactly what to buy (utilizing the calendar as a reminder), which means fewer last-minute trips to the store.

• No More "What's for Dinner?" Questions: You can eliminate that stressful, end-of-the-day question that always seems to pop up.

• More Time for What Matters: By cutting down on cooking time, you get to spend more time with your family.

This method has been a game-changer for our family. It keeps us organized, reduces stress, and ensures we're always prepared for the busy week ahead.

I'd love to hear what works for you. What are your favorite back-to-school time-saving tips? Share them in the comments!