Sunday is prep day.
Sunday sets the stage for the entire week.
It’s the day I wrap my mind around upcoming events and get everything in order—so I don’t lose my mind.
My Sunday routine has served me well for years. From being a single mom of two to now a married mom of three, it continues to work wonders for our family. Here’s what I do every single Sunday:
Plan
I start by opening the calendar and looking at the week ahead.
Tuesday: School meeting at 5:30 → I’ll need a quick and easy dinner
Thursday: Ice skating night → leftovers, and Grandma takes the little one.
Friday: I have to leave early → my husband will handle morning duty.
Library books: Going in a bag by the door so I remember to drop them off Tuesday.
Now that my kids are older, I also check their schedules—when they’ll be home for dinner, what they need from us, and where we need to be. A little planning prevents scrambling, stress, and running late.
Meal plan + Groceries
This part is a bit longer—but it’s the backbone of my week.
Meal Planning:
First, I decide how many dinners we need and which nights are for leftovers, pizza, or trying a new recipe. I take stock of what we already have and then map out the week:
S: Order out
M: Fried Rice
T: Chicken Salad
W: Poke Bowls
Th: Salmon, rice, broccoli
F: Pizza
S: Chicken wraps
I do the same for breakfast and lunch, but this is significantly easier. We keep staples on hand (oatmeal, cereal, eggs, bagels). So I really just need to take inventory of those and restock what’s missing.
Groceries:
Once meals are planned, I make a grocery list based on what we’re missing. I also ask everyone in the house what they need—otherwise I’ll get random requests all week. Everyone knows Sunday is grocery day.
Here’s my trick: I write the list in the order of the aisles. I cannot stand circling back through the store. With this method, I can get a week’s worth of groceries in about 45 minutes.
The whole family helps unload and put things away. We also clean out the fridge at the same time.
Meal Prep (Optional):
I don’t do a ton of prep now, but when I was a single mom, it saved me. I’d prep breakfasts and lunches for the week, cook chicken for dinners and school lunches, and pre-cut veggies. It took about three hours, but it made the week run so much smoother. If you’re in a busy season, I highly recommend giving it a try.
Laundry
Sunday is laundry day.
Here’s the short version: I do all my laundry in one day—washing, folding, and putting it away. The key is folding clothes right out of the dryer so nothing piles up. And the big hack? My kids do their own laundry starting at age five. Yes, really.
(I could write a whole separate post on laundry hacks, but I’ll save that for another day.)
Budget
Sunday is money day. If you don’t know where your money is going, you don’t know where your life is going.
We keep a monthly budget, and every Sunday I run through our accounts to make sure we’re on track. At first, it took a little time to learn, but now it only takes a few minutes—even easier if you use a budgeting app.
That’s It!
That’s the magical Sunday routine. It only takes a few hours, but it sets up our entire week for success. A little structure on Sunday means less stress, less scrambling, and a whole lot more peace.
Hi, I’m Naomi!
Founder of Charming Spaces, professional organizer, wife, mom of three and passionate advocate for women.
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