Tell Me Something Good – What Abundance Can Look Like

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i wish i had a hilarious april fool’s story for you but since it’s just me and sugar this morning, i told her she wasn’t going to get any more treats and she didn’t think it was funny. april fools sugar – jeeeeez. it’s days like these i wish i had coworkers so i could remove the cream filling in oreos (eat them) and then replace the centers with toothpaste. that’s what i would do if i worked with you – you have been warned!

today’s something good has to do with a simple task many of us do weekly – grocery shopping. my husband and i were at the grocery store earlier this week and we were shopping for dinner supplies because we hosted a family dinner.

grocery store

as we walked up and down the aisle, we started reminiscing about one of the first times we went grocery shopping together after moving to portland, oregon 7 years ago. i was in graduate school for social work and he was doing every odd job he could get his hands on but we were now living in a state with one of the highest unemployment rates in the country. quiznos wouldn’t even hire him.

grocery shopping was stressful back then. i would make a list of the basic essentials that we could afford based on our very tiny bank account. this list typically included milk, cheap bread, a few apples, whatever vegetables were on sale, soup and not much else. we couldn’t afford it. there were no impulse buys for a candy bar, flowers or extra snacks.

this week, we filled our grocery cart with basically whatever looked good. not only that, but we could afford to feed six people – this was not taken for granted by either of us.

grocery shopping and buying the foods we want is a pure sign of abundance for us, especially when we leave with flowers, which we did! $3.99 for sunflowers from sprouts? yes, please!

sunflowers table

i know many people in our own country are starving so access to healthy foods is not something to be taken for granted. while we still have a ways to go to reach our financial goals, the fact that where we are at in life now affords us the ability to buy the foods we want (and crave in my case – spicy trail mix!) is something i think about every time i’m grocery shopping. that is something good for me!

what is something in your life that makes you feel like you have abundance? share something good and happy with me!

ps. thank you to those who shared their insecurities on wednesday’s blog – i appreciate this community as way to normalize and support one another! sometimes i feel like if we get things out in the open, they have less of a grip on us. remember to enter the fancy moisturizer giveaway!

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15 Comments

  1. Rachel G

    April 1, 2016 at 2:55 am

    Aww! Isn’t that awesome, to not have to worry about the grocery store? For some reason, when I saw that picture of the huge grocery store, I thought this was going to be about the abundant supply of grocery items available in American grocery stores–my mind is a little skewed, I guess, because that’s what I miss most. But I’m very grateful that someone was willing to hire Angel in Malaysia, even though he only had a year of teaching experience, and that he’s been thriving at his job–we had an Easter dinner for friends last week, also without worrying about the cost of the groceries, and that’s well worth being thankful for.
    Rachel G recently posted…Our Tattoo Story

    • chelsea

      April 4, 2016 at 9:10 am

      haha it is pretty crazy just how many choices there are in american grocery stores – it’s insane and overwhelming at times! yay someone hiring angel in malaysia AND yay for being able to cook a delicious easter meal for your friends without worrying about groceries 🙂 thanks for your comment rachel!

  2. Audrey

    April 1, 2016 at 8:33 am

    When I think about our money troubles I always come back to the fact that we have a place to sleep and we have food to eat. Things can get pretty stressful when you run a business and income isn’t always guaranteed, but I’m always very grateful to have milk or eggs in the fridge. (And if our fridge is a little low we have two sets of parents that are always willing to feed us 😉 )
    Audrey recently posted…What I Read… March 2016

    • chelsea

      April 4, 2016 at 9:12 am

      yes so many things to be grateful for and roof over our heads is definitely one of the top! i feel you on the stress of running a business and inconsistent income but glad you have two sets of parents that are willing to feed you! we have that now too – yay!

  3. jennifermckennasays

    April 1, 2016 at 8:50 am

    My my what a great story, I love that a grocery shopping trip (which I HATE) helped you appreciate the abundance of your present- Jeremy and I are certainly not Rockefeller rich but after getting out of debt (WooHoo) almost six months ago the budget meetings are a lot more fun, we have been saving for our “babymoon” so we can pay cash and not go into debt for the trip- the next step is piling cash for baby because we don’t know how much it is all going to cost- my tell you something good is that we are going to a wedding this weekend and we aren’t stressed about the cost because we planned ahead- its a very nice feeling!

    • chelsea

      April 4, 2016 at 9:14 am

      woohoo congratulations on getting out of deb, jennifer! that is fantastic!! also hooray for a babymoon and doing it while not going into debt – that has to be a fantastic feeling! i hope you had so much fun at the wedding this past weekend 🙂

  4. Sara

    April 1, 2016 at 9:22 am

    Beautiful sunflowers! I also feel so lucky on the financial front. We have a budget, but we don’t have to worry about every penny like some people do (and I have had to do in the past). I am grateful that we are able to have the money to go on special date nights. Tonight we are going to the first Phillies game in town and I am so excited to spend time with my husband experiencing something he loves (and I am starting to love too).
    Sara recently posted…How to Stop Comparing

    • chelsea

      April 4, 2016 at 9:16 am

      i am glad you don’t have to worry about every penny either, sara. i think we will probably always be on some type of budget but that also helps to keep our goals in check too! i hope you had a ton of fun at the Phillies game – it’s fun to do things that your spouse loves. something about seeing them so happy! glad you are starting to love it too!

  5. Rose Swearingen

    April 1, 2016 at 9:38 am

    My husband and I took a trip to Jamaica two weeks ago for a friend’s wedding. We photographed their wedding as our gift to them. I realized two things about that trip. I never thought growing up that I would never made enough money to travel to other countries, and that we were paying it forward. At our destination wedding a friend took our photos and bestowed them on us as a gift. We felt we needed to pass on that gift to someone else. I also realized that together, my husband and I, could do things my parents never did at our age. It makes me feel very accomplished. Not lucky, because we both work hard and appreciate what we have. I think they are both two good things.

    • chelsea

      April 4, 2016 at 9:19 am

      i have a big grin on my face reading your good things, rose! i love that you got to appreciate traveling to other countries and being able to pay your services forward! i also appreciate what you said about not being lucky but you do work hard to be where you are at – i feel that way too!

  6. Pingback: So Much To Be Thankful For | Just Murrayed

  7. Elyse

    April 1, 2016 at 2:42 pm

    Loved this! I remember when Andrew and I were eating no name perogies, pasta and canned soup most nights for dinner because that’s all we could afford. I’m glad we’ve moved past that and now we can spend as much as we need to be healthy and happy.
    Elyse recently posted…So Much To Be Thankful For

    • chelsea

      April 4, 2016 at 9:22 am

      it does make us extra appreciate those no name foods as we are able to now both afford the foods we desire to eat (although not shellfish in your case!) im glad you know what i’m talking about how good it feels to move past that 🙂

  8. Michelle

    April 1, 2016 at 3:03 pm

    Loved this post Chelsea! The time Miguel and I felt that way was when we bought our house! Although we still have a long way to go as far as financial goals, we are grateful that we are able to do certain things we like. The ultimate goal is to be our own bosses, so that is in the works!

    • chelsea

      April 4, 2016 at 9:23 am

      glad you liked this post michelle and thanks for sharing yours! cheers to buying your own house – that is so impressive and one of our goals in the next year or two so i super admire that. heck yes to becoming your own bosses and happy to hear that is in the works!