Do you use your Good Things?

Do you have "Good" china, dinnerware, crystal goblets? What about a "Good" tablecloth? Or "Good" nightgowns? Anything "Good"? And do you use your "Good" things?

You know that after my aunt's death, the responsibility of cleaning out her apartment fell to my sister and me. Well, we've found gorgeous pajamas and robes, with tags never removed. Beautiful blankets that have never been used. Beautiful towel sets that were never used. Pretty jewelry that we know she never wore. Bowls and dishes and gorgeous glasses that were never taken out of the box. She was saving it all for a special time, I guess.

But sometimes, those special times never happen. And what a shame it is. She never got to wear those beautiful pajamas and nightgowns. Never got to use her pretty towels and pillowcases.

I took many of her kitchen things, simply because I could not bear not to use them. We donated her nightwear and blankets to the nursing home....we're sure they can find patients who would be thrilled to use them. The towels and washcloths were never taken out of the boxes....my niece took some of them. We have contacted a consignment shop for most of her jewelry and kept some of the pieces for ourselves.

It's heartbreaking to realize that she "made do" with what she had because there was no special time for her to use her pretty things.

And I remember one time when my parents came down for dinner and I had used some lovely crystal goblets that belonged to my grandmother. Mom was horrifed that I was using them. I asked her why I shouldn't use them. She said that I should save them and I replied, "For what? To give to somebody when I die? No! Beautiful things are meant to be used and cherished." That's my take on things like this. Things will get broken, but it happens.

What do you think? Do you save your "good" things or do you use them?

I agree 100% with your take on things hun! Things are meant to be used. Almost everything we have was either given to us or bought second hand. We don't have extravagant tastes and I have always been thrifty because I like a big bang for my buck. Everything I have gets used.

After we were first married, I used to save the good things. I think it was because that was how I was brought up. After watching too many people die, I use it all now.

I do have "good" china, but only use it on Thanksgiving. It's not because it is good that I don't use it more often, it's because it can't go in the microwave and I'd rather not put it in the dishwasher. As far as good glassware, I use it. I don't use it when I am lazy and don't feel like handwashing. If anyone is over visiting, I don't hesitate to use a "good" glass.

When my father died he had so much "good" underwear and "good" socks that he had never even opened the packages.

I have good clothes/hosue clothes/bleach using clothes Good clothes are used anytime I got out of house. my stepmom almost died when i told her i wore my pants (were bought for a few easters ago)
"a few times a week" if i dont wear them whos going to? scratching head on that

everythings else is a no. you come in my house use whatever you want/see

I'm another one that uses the things I buy. I have nice dishes, but they get used all the time. I don't have space for collecting ones I won't use, nor the space to invite over guests for dinner. (Eat in kitchen)

The only thing I do that with is cds. I'll buy them, rip them to wavs, then only get them out again if I need to rip them again or check something in the linearnotes.

Other than some lead crystal that must be handwashed and a couple of tablecloths that have to be ironed, our "good" stuff gets used all the time. I never bothered getting fancy china or silverware.

For the first couple years DH and I were together, I saved "good" things, but then I realized they were just siting in the closet.

so now, I don't have "good" things, really. We have some nicer stuff, but all of it gets used. I confused the heck out of my extended family when we got married because instead of china, we asked for a set of stoneware...my aunt asked me if this was a "new, young person thing." I said no, stoneware is microwaveable and can go in the dishwasher and I refuse to have a set of plate that I never use because they're too fancy and too much of a pain to clean.
We break out the stoneware at least once a week if we have company, if we run out of regular dishes, or just if we feel like it.

My Grandmother has entire rooms of things she never used and never will...some of it absolutely gorgeous...I just don't get that.

I have china, real silverware, crystal goblets, lace tablecloths, silver trays, etc. No, I never use it. It is left over from a first marriage when I had to play big shot. I thought I would pass it on to someone at some point. Right now, it is taking up space in my dining room in a fancy china cabinet that takes up space so I will have something to keep the stuff in. Maybe I need to clean it all out and start over. LOL

We don't really buy "good" stuff if it can't be used. We have a nice set of dishes from Crate and Barrel, but we use them every day. Some of them have chips in them (especially a certain style of bowl, all of them have chips) but who cares?? We got really nice wine glasses for our wedding and I use them every time I have wine. I do have a set of my grandmother's china that have only been used once when we first hosted Thanksgiving, but I just don't want anything to happen to them and we didn't technically buy them.

We don't have table cloths or anything like that, I don't wear jewelry so I don't have any. I don't wear really nice cloths or ever really dress up...my wardrobe consists of tank tops, tshirts, jeans, sweat pants, and sweat shirts. Throw a FEW nice items in for fancy occasions. It's not really practical to wear a really fancy dress every day. lol

Heck, we got a couple small crystal bowls for our wedding and one of them is used to hold our garlic! LOL What else are you supposed to do with all that stuff?? Just stick it on a shelf or put it in a closet? It's meant to be used.

Wow, I never thought about this - and that's really sad. I think you did a wonderful thing, and how hard all of that must have been! At least her "good" thinks will bring some wonderful smiles now.

We don't have much in the way of "good" things. I have a couple of dresses for formal occassions that I used to wear, but we don't get out much these days (they were always business functions).

I have my grandmother's good China, but it's in storage now that we're back in the RV. That's about it for the good stuff.

We have some nice stuff we use for special occasions, such as the china set Dottie bought while we were engaged. Yes, some of the pieces are now chipped.

We have two sets of good silverware. One set belonged to Dottie's mother, and before that, her grandmother. One set I bought on e-bay. Nice stuff.

By the way, ladies, let me recommend that you check for a set of silverware on e-bay. It's something really nice, and you would be surprised at how little you might spend. I've seen many virtually unused 12-place setting silver sets going for less than $100. Why? Because so many women in the 20's, 30's, and 40's bought the sets for their "hope chest" and never got around to using them. I helped a friend buy a set for about $110 that had never even been unwrapped!

An example: Rogers Silver set 12-place setting $134 Buy it Now

My mother had good china and silverware, which I couldn't take because of the distance/air freight costs, and my sister didn't want (though I think she did end up with the silverware). My mom gave the china to a young neighbor whom she really liked, who was thrilled with it. Now my s-i-l and I are wondering what we're going to do with my m-i-l's stuff when she's gone. Who wants to hand wash and polish everything nowadays?

the only "Good" things I have that I dont "use" regularly are jewelery items - great grandmas wedding band, diamond earring etc. And sometimes, I wish I could wear them more often, but they just wouldnt go with every day clothes etc....so only get worn on rare, special occasions. My mom has a lot of antique things that she uses that make me very nervous - things like depression glass and very old teacups. YIKES!!! but it is better than it all sitting in some cabinet with a layer of dust....

The only "good" stuff I have is my set of china and some diamond jewelry. I use the china on holidays, only because there are just the 2 of us, and since our everyday dishes are a set of 12, we never run out before we have to run the dishwasher, but sometimes if we need "berry bowls" or something of that size, we WILL turn to the china.

As far as my jewelry, yes, I will wear my diamond and emerald earrings with jeans when I go out to lunch or the movies or something casual. I just don't wear earrings around home, because Stinkpot licks my ears frequently, I don't want him to accidentally swallow an earring .

All the sterling silver I got for my first wedding I gave to my mothers years and years ago because I didn't want it, and she likes that stuff!

We have good china that we use on the holidays or special occasions.

We can't have nice things.

That's so sad--all of those beautiful items, going to waste...

My Mom did that, too, though admittedly, after being hospitalized 13 times in a year, I can now see why she saved new nightgowns (she wore ratty, stained, nasty old ones at home)!

I use my good stuff frequently, but carefully. I love having a beautifully-set table, even just for DH and I. I collect old silver, so none of my stuff is expensive, but I polish it it nicely, and it's so pretty on the table. As most of my "good" stuff is from eBay, yard sales, etc., I don't fret too much if it gets damaged--it cost so little anyway. What's the use of having this stuff if you never or seldom use it?

When I moved here and u npacked all my stuff from store, I realised I had four complete dinner services, and boxes and boxes of unused crystal glasses. My mother has also given me some hand embroidered table cloths. So I gave some to my daughter and now try to use the nice stuff at least a few times a year. I was upset last Christmas when a very good crystal glass got broken, but I brought them out again this year and I think everyone appreciated the beauty of the table. I don't use the good sets very often, but when I do it adds to the special atmosphere.

We don't really have 'good' stuff to use. Mostly its just the 'fancy' clothes we wear for holidays or something like that. Mostly that's because between bf working in a garage and me prefering sweats we try and keep atleast one outfit that doesn't get grease or bleach on it lol. I have 3 pair of the same jeans and one of those is my 'fancy' jeans.

We don't have good dishes or anything like that. I do have a set of pfaltzcraft dishes from my mom but some got broke between moves so to keep them safe I never collected them out of the box they were last packed in. When we move to a bigger house though I'm going to get my 2 antique hutches and those dishes so I can store them in there. I will use them for 'fancy' dinners when bf and I actually use our dining room table to eat at instead of a catch all.

One thing I have that I consider good is yarn. I have the hardest time using the good yarns I bought on sale because they are so pretty and I worry that when I finally use them I won't be happy with what I made and it will be stuck that way.

I don't have anything "nice", I use whatever I buy. I do buy decent things to begin with--I have Pfaltzgraff dishes and nice flatware (stainless steel). I don't like flimsy flatware or dishes. But they're used every day (and I feed the cats from the dishes ); nothing is held back for special occasions.

Of course, I do have clothes that are for nicer occasions, that I don't wear for cleaning the house. But I don't consider that the same as having "nice" clothes you never wear.