Re: Do you ""put things back for good"" in your ho... - Page 2

Sooner · ‎03-10-2010

Sure. I always have an unused set of dish towels and dish cloths tucked in the drawer for when company is over. I have china sets I don't use every day and flatware used for company--no scratches on it from everyday use. Serving dishes also I don't use every day and tea and coffee pots that go on the table when dessert is served to guests.

I have clothes I only wear when dressed up, more exotic perfume I don't use every day, better night clothes I travel with, etc.

stevieb · ‎03-10-2010

For years I did put the 'better' stuff aside. Increasingly, I don't. What's the point in having it if you don't use it...?

In my pantry with my cupcakes...

goodstuff · ‎03-09-2010

I always have, but as I get older I hope to get away from this and to enjoy more of my nice things on an everyday basis. What, exactly, are we waiting for? This is life, and we might as well live it!

scotnovel · ‎12-31-2013

No I never have. My mother in law and my husband's grandmother did that. When they died we found a number of gift items that we had given them over several years. Those items were still in the original boxes and packaging. They never enjoyed or got any use from them, and we ended up giving all of those items away. It seemed sad and just a waste that they didn't feel they either deserved or should use new items mainly because they were around during the depression.

Enjoy what life gives you, even if it is just a fancy new robe or some nice sheets. Life is too short to save things for "good".

bbluvr · ‎05-01-2010

One has to keep in mind the mindset of past generations. These "special" items were things that were expensive or harder to come by. They did not want to wear them out in order to pass them down to their children or grand children who mostly treasured them and passed them on. They were proud of their "grandmothers china" or damask tablecloth.

These days, things are cheap and easily accessible. If people get tired of last year's Christmas china, then they just give it away and get another set. No one wears aprons and embroidered hand towels are easily found at the dollar store.

Not necessarily a bad thing. Just different.

Mominohio · ‎08-08-2010

I think a lot of whether or not we do this depends on a couple of things.

If we hold passed down things dear, we want to be able to pass them down as well.

Some of these things, can indeed not be replaced. Things hand made or stitched by great grandmother are simply not replaceable. These things mean nothing to some people, but are some of the first things others would grab in a fire.

The quality of new goods is just not the same as many decades ago. I can find some things made today that are nice, but nothing like some of my favorite old pieces. If I want to make them last, they just have to be 'put back' for good only use (which does't mean not used at all).

So many people are the 'end of the family line', and have no one to cherish these things later. Many young people don't want what their parents or grandparents had, they wish to have something new that better suits their tastes and styles. That's where it's fun for those of us who love to find such things second hand!

I can't have a whole house full of things I don't particularly use or like (the style,color, etc.), but especially if it is handmade (or special) from a long gone relative, I will set aside a little shelf space for it. When I come across that stack of things, it often makes me smile, and I enjoy handling the items, refolding them a couple of times a year, and share a trip down memory lane with those that are no longer here. And as time passes, I get out some of it and incorporate it in my decor, if only on occasion, to enjoy it in use.

June Lands · ‎11-13-2014

Nothing I own is too special that I can not use it every day. I never save things for special. Life is too short.

DrKelli · ‎03-10-2010

My ex-MIL and ex-SIL had towels you couldn't use. These towels were hanging in the bathroom, so when you went in to use it and washed your hands, you weren't supposed to use certain towels that were hanging there. I never could figure out which ones you were supposed to use and which ones you weren't.

The SIL kept "good" towels hanging in there at all times and you were supposed to grab one from the closet if you wanted to take a shower. I made that terrible mistake only once. ${#emotions_dlg.rolleyes}$

I don't own anything I don't use with the exception of one damask table cloth that was my grandmother's. I keep that just because it reminds me of her.

Marsha2003 · ‎03-12-2010

As Brii said, I have things that I use for special occasions and parties that aren't practical for everyday use. However, I don't own anything that I don't use. Even my stemware is arranged in a glass-fronted cabinet in the kitchen so that I can enjoy its sparkle when it's not being used in a table setting.

scatha_guardian · ‎03-19-2010

I am going to look at this in a different way...

When I was very young, I had both of my grandmothers, and they had wonderful things that no one could touch or use. It was for that "special occasions." The problem was, years went by, and those things were never used.

We then moved from New Orleans to Chalmette, La, right before hurricane Betsy hit in 1965. I was 9 years old at the time. My mother's mother brought all that stuff with her to this new house we had built. Problem was, the hurricane did not care about "special occasions."

I learned very early that physical things mean very little as long as the people you love, even pets, are still there with you. I learned then to live in the moment, to enjoy life and the people you love. "Things" don't mean much without them...think about it.