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The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter.

A consistent routine is really important to me. Without a routine, I feel like my life’s falling apart. That’s not even an exaggeration either. I am very “type A” in that sense. 

However, I do make tweaks to my routine. If I am constantly doing the same things every single day, I get antsy and frustrated. It becomes mundane quickly. Of course, different days of the week signal different events and happenings, but I still try to make my schedule a bit more malleable for my own sake. Flexibility is key!

I love my cozy fall routine.

Fall is my favorite season. My birthday is, in my opinion, during one of the best months of the year: October. The Pillsbury throw-in-the-oven Halloween cookies are put on display, Bath and Body Works is flooding with fall candles, and my entire TikTok For You page consists of fall movies, snacks, soups, cocktails, and more. 

Even when I was younger, the season of fall was always a favorite. “Back to School” supplies, clothes, and commercials brought me so much excitement because I loved shopping for the new school year. And now I’m going to school to be a high school teacher.

Coincidence? Probably not.

The word “cozy” can mean something different to everyone, but here are some of the highlights in my latest routine that I have been doing since the beginning of September that may give you a better idea of what I consider to be cozy.

Lighting my Fall Candles

I mentioned Bath and Body Works earlier. Those who know me fairly well know that I am head over heels in love with that store. I have crafted out the lotions I am asking for on my birthday (Gingham Glow, White Pumpkin and Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin if you wondered). That being said, I have reintroduced my Marshall’s (because they have great candles too- do not forget!) Pumpkin Patch candle into my rotation.

Every night after I take a shower and start settling down, I need to have that candle going. Nothing screams “cozy fall” more than a single-wick candle from Marshall’s, right? It helps set the tone for the night and eases me into wind-down mode.

Playing Noah Kahan’s Stick Season (Live from Fenway Park version)

My boyfriend has told me before that he associates certain songs with seasons of the year. He has a good point. I realized that I have also done that internally with some of my most listened-to artists and albums. 

Noah Kahan is my fall and winter guy. His songs remind me of sitting by a crackling fireplace in some New England log cabin while gripping a hot coffee under a Cupcakes and Cashmere brand blanket (IYKYK). I play this album during my commute to student teaching. There’s something about driving through the Western New York fall foliage with a thin layer of fog at 7:00 am with this album playing.

His songs that are recorded in-studio gave me chills when I first listened to them. Then I became desensitized since I would listen to the songs over and over again. The chills factor went away.

The live at Fenway Park version is unreal. I got the chills again; they came back! I was no longer desensitized. Do yourself a favor and listen to it. Make sure to listen to the songs in order. Live versions of songs are usually just better anyway (Hello, Silver Springs- Live at Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, CA 5/23/97 by Fleetwood Mac!).

Meal Prepping Fall Soups 

One of my favorite additions has been meal prepping on Sunday for the week. So far it has been saving me so much time during the week. I have my lunches and dinners made, packaged, and ready to be thrown in the microwave Monday – Friday. This may be one of the smartest things I do this semester!

I plan to make, as often as I can anyways, what I consider to be a cozy fall soup. Recently, lasagna soup started circulating on my social media, so this past weekend I tried it out. 

I really loved it. Soups during the fall will always remind me of being back at home with my family since my dad loves to break out his most delicious soups when it starts to get colder out. 

I wonder what next week’s meal prepping will bring. I hope it brings a good recipe for homemade broccoli cheddar soup.

Cassy is a new Her Campus SBU chapter member who writes about her physical and emotional journeys, topics she adores, but also any topic that comes to mind that week. At St. Bonaventure, Cassy is Vice President of the SBU College Democrats chapter, a Student Ambassador for admissions, and a member of SBU's EMPOWER club on campus. Cassy is a senior whose double-major is Adolescence Education with Disabilities and History, and she could not say enough praise about her "Ad-Ed" cohort who have become her rock at school. This semester she will be student teaching at two local schools at the middle and high school level. When Cassy is not at St. Bonaventure, she resides in the Finger Lakes area and enjoys substitute teaching where she gets to work with her former school teachers and build relationships with students. She loves attending country concerts during the summer at her favorite concert venue on Canandaigua Lake, CMAC. In her free time, Cassy enjoys perfecting her Spotify profile, reading on her Kindle, working out, and sitting on the porch– coffee in hand– with her roommates. Recently, her most frequented albums are Noah Kahan's "Stick Season" and Zach Bryan's "The Great American Bar Scene." In terms of books, Emily Henry remains a staple author in her reading life and "Funny Story" was her favorite read this past summer.