This post is sponsored by Shipt, but all of the opinions within are those of The Everygirl editorial board.
In another life, I may have trained for the Winter Olympics. But as I recall, I chose a slightly different career path. So can any of my Midwestern friends explain why every trip to my neighborhood grocery store from late November through early March feels like I’m competing in a sub-zero season of The Amazing Race?
Because once winter hits, even the simplest errand becomes a production: layers, slush, and the very real possibility you’ll have to do it all again two days later. And the problem isn’t just that it’s annoying—it’s that it quietly eats up the weekend I was planning to spend, you know, resting. No matter how “on top of it” I feel, I still end up in the same place every weekend: Sunday at 4 p.m., staring into a fridge full of condiments and questionable produce, realizing I’m out of dishwasher pods. Again.
So this winter, I’m doing a Sunday reset instead—a simple routine that saves time and trips, and sets up future me for the week ahead. Here’s how I’m keeping my Sundays from turning into admin work.
If you’ve ever ended a weekend feeling like you somehow didn’t rest or get your life together, this is where a Sunday reset becomes your secret weapon. Because it’s not about productivity or knocking things off your list—it’s about honing in on the handful of low effort-high reward things that make weekdays doable.
In The Everygirl universe, a Sunday reset is not you scrubbing baseboards or reorganizing your pantry into matching glass jars. A weekly reset routine is just a short block of time that reduces friction later. Mine focuses on three things: a grocery restock, a cozy meal plan, and a refresh of household essentials. In the winter, I add a fourth: a couple of small vibe boosters, because morale is… low.
It also helps you spend your hard-earned coin with more intention. When I’m stocked up, I’m far less likely to place those midweek “emergency” orders that cost more than expected and include at least one impulse purchase I absolutely did not need. Plus, I use Shipt to knock out most of that in one go, which is what keeps this routine simple instead of turning it into a multi-stop Sunday.
Before I plan a single meal or add anything to a cart, I do a quick scan of my fridge and pantry. It’s my “shop your kitchen first” rule, and it prevents one of life’s most annoying experiences: buying duplicates of things you already own. (If I had a dollar for every time I purchased oats while already owning oats, I could probably fund my own oat empire.)
The key is scanning by category so you don’t overthink it:
This step is the foundation of the whole routine. When your kitchen has real options, weekday choices get easier—especially on the days when your brain is running on fumes and you can’t be bothered to think.
I want to be the kind of person who plans seven dinners and meal preps in matching glass containers. I am not that person, especially in hibernation season.
What works for me is a meal plan that respects reality. I aim for two to three planned dinners, one true free night (leftovers, breakfast for dinner, takeout—whatever keeps the peace), and one comfort lunch option that makes weekday afternoons feel less chaotic.
In winter, I stick to warm, low-effort meals that overlap ingredients. It’s cost-per-use logic in its most practical form: If I’m buying something, I want to use it more than once without forcing it into a recipe it doesn’t belong in.
A few “buy once, use twice” moves I repeat all season:
This is also where an app like Shipt makes the routine noticeably easier. I build my cart as I plan the week, then place the order on Sunday morning. Because it’s same-day grocery delivery, I can handle the planning part (the part that saves me time later) without losing half of my day to the execution.
Winter requires a stocked baseline. Not in a doomsday-prepper way—just in a “my brain cannot handle extra decisions this week” way.
Comfort zone groceries are the staples that make weekday meals feel easy: pantry staples, freezer basics, and the snacks I always have to have on hand. The following have gone triple platinum in my household: pasta of all shapes and sizes, crushed tomatoes, 2% Fairlife, frozen dumplings, yellow onions, fresh fruit, Dots pretzels, spicy hummus, and Nespresso pods. And then I add my favorite part: vibe boosters.
A candle. Fresh flowers. A new hand soap. Something small that elevates one of my at-home rituals. This isn’t frivolous, it’s strategic. When my space feels cozy and stocked, I’m less likely to spend money midweek out of boredom, stress, or a desire for a quick dopamine hit. This is the moment where the Sunday reset stops feeling purely “productive” and starts feeling like self-care.
One thing I’ve started doing that makes this step even easier: I set up Dietary Preferences in the Shipt app, so my suggestions (and future carts) naturally align with how I’m trying to eat in the winter. And because I’m not interested in playing “guess the replacement item” when something’s out of stock, I also love using Backup Preferences—it lets me pre-select substitutions, which saves time and keeps my comfort zone staples… in my comfort zone.
READ: Food Is Getting More Expensive—Here’s What I’m Swapping in My Grocery Cart
This step has saved me from more midweek breakdowns than I’d like to admit.
Household essentials run out quietly and then become a problem loudly. So I do a quick scan of paper goods, dish and laundry supplies, toiletries, and cold/flu basics (tissues, cough drops, electrolyte packets). In winter, especially, being stocked on these can keep your entire week from derailing.
It’s also a simple way to protect your budget. Restocking intentionally on Sunday prevents those desperate, overpriced runs where you buy whatever is available at whatever price, because you don’t have another option. Pro Tip: Check Shipt’s Deals tab. It’s an easy way to spot coupons and weekly savings while you’re already building your order.
This is where I love that Shipt can go beyond groceries. Once I’ve built my grocery restock, I add household essentials so everything arrives in one go. And because Shipt connects you to a variety of local and national retailers across grocery and household categories, I can keep the reset consolidated instead of turning it into multiple stops.
Shoppers with Shipt communicate in real time, so you’re not wondering what’s happening—or crossing your fingers that everything arrives as expected. If something is out of stock, your Shopper will message you and you can approve substitutions right in the app, which is exactly the balance I want: I don’t have to micromanage, but I can if I want to.
It feels less like outsourcing and more like having a trusted helper for the week ahead. If you want to try this for your own winter Sunday reset, you can download the Shipt app and build a saved list with your weekly essentials. And if you’re someone who always remembers one oddly specific item after you’ve already built your cart, Shipt’s Special Requests feature is incredibly helpful. You can add an item request directly in the app—even if it’s not listed—so you don’t have to place a second order or make another trip.
I actually like winter. I like staying in. I like slow mornings and soup season. What I don’t like is feeling like my weekend is just administrative time for the week ahead. This routine changes that. When groceries are stocked, comfort zone basics are covered, and household essentials are handled, you stop wasting energy on daily micro-decisions. Your week feels smoother, your spending gets more intentional, and your weekends finally feel like they belong to you.
Some weeks, your Sunday reset will be a full production: podcast on, cozy meal plan, fridge stocked like you have your life together. Other weeks, it’ll be you refreshing your cart from the couch while you’re basically horizontal. Both count. What matters is the structure—save your weekly essentials in Shipt, stick to an easy dinner formula most weeks (soup + sheet pan + assembly meal), and call it a win.
Make healthy habits happen. Stock your comfort zone. Add vibe-boosters to cart. Keep it simple.
From small community newspapers to country music marketing, Paige has found the most fulfillment in finding and sharing the uniquely human stories that compel an audience. As a Branded Content Editor at The Everygirl, she is able to combine her excitement about women’s issues and pop culture with her editorial skills to create quality content for our brand partners.
This post is sponsored by Shipt, but all of the opinions within are those of The Everygirl editorial board.
*Offer valid for new customers only, returning customers are ineligible. 14 day trial will renew at the standard membership rate at the end of the trial. Cancellation available free of charge anytime during trial. Offer is subject to Shipt Promotion Terms and Conditions.
