The following is a guest post from regular contributor, Sharon at Mom of 6.
For those of us devoting to de-cluttering on a regular basis, we might feel that we have pared down the items that stock our kitchen drawers and cabinets to just the things we use every day. But if you are like me, you might walk into your kitchen one day and realize that it is stocked with far too many kiddie-type items like melamine plates that are non-breakable, plastic cups that were once picked up on a visit to an amusement park, and toddler spoons that change color when the food they touch is too hot… and we find ourselves wondering “When did it get like this?” And “Why is it still like this when my kids are long past their toddler years”?
At some point, the wedding china got stored away where it wouldn’t be broken, and by default wouldn’t be used. The nice matching flatware we once owned has become a smaller mis-matched set and is supplemented with basic pieces I’ve picked up at Target. And all of our glass “glassware” is stored way up high on a shelf I can’t reach which is why I keep using that cup that says “ESPN Wide World of Sports” on it. Were my cabinets cluttered and overstocked? No. But they also didn’t contain items that I loved and were proud to use at dinner time either. It was time to re-examine my kitchen basics and make some changes!
1. Use the Good Dishes
A few years ago, I attended a memorial service for a co-worker’s sister who had passed away unexpectedly in her early 30’s. This woman had two young children and a loving husband, and I remember my co-worker telling me that her sister had just that past weekend made a holiday dinner and had served it on her “good wedding dishes”, using them for the first time ever, even though she had been married for more than 5 years. And I remember my co-worker, in all of her grief, looking me in the eye and telling me “Don’t wait to use your good dishes.”
And yet- when the kids arrived I (of course!) put my wedding china away for safe keeping. But my kids are at the point now where they aren’t any more likely to break these dishes than I am, so it’s time to start using them!
However, they are still a bit too fragile for the every day- and I know that if I am loading and unloading them in the dishwasher constantly- they will get chipped. So what I decided to do was to invest in a set of inexpensive plain white dishes– the kind that are used by catering businesses. They are beautiful- fit every occasion, and if they are ever broken or chipped….. oh well.
And the kids old melamine plates that served us well for so many years? They have been donated. Hopefully another family will feed their young kids on them now!
2. Have Enough of the Right Glasses
A few weeks ago I realized that one of the reasons I needed to run the dishwasher so often is that we were always out of glasses! Yes- with 6 kids in the house I preach quite often that they should re-use the same glass all day long and just put it into the dishwasher after dinner… but somehow that NEVER happens. And then dinner rolls around, and I realize that I actually need to wash glasses in order to be able to serve dinner! Noooooooo!
So I decided a to buy a few sets of inexpensive glassware at the store to build our supply. And to create room for them in our cabinet, I gathered up all of those plastic cups that we have accumulated for free over the years, narrowed down our collection to only a dozen of these cups, and moved them onto a higher shelf for now. I’ll get them down and we’ll use them during the summer when kids take glasses outside…. but for now- I am enjoying using our beautiful new glasses.
3. There’s More Wiggle Room with Flatware
I am not sure exactly what happens to our spoons and forks… but somehow the supply dwindles each year. There have been those times that they kids have dropped them while dining outside and they have fallen through the slats of the deck… but other than that- where do they go? Off with the missing socks from the laundry? Hmmm….
I believe that if you stick with a super-basic style of flatware (I hesitate to call it a pattern, because really- I look for ones with almost no pattern), it doesn’t matter if the flatware matches each other perfectly when the table is set with plates and glasses that match one another. So I will purchase a pack of a dozen spoons in a basic style and add it to the kitchen drawer. Much better than running out at mealtime!
*please note that all links above are Amazon affiliate links
What’s the state of your kitchen basics these days? Do you love what you own or do you cringe when guests come to dinner? Is it time to re-examine your kitchen basics?
If you get a chance, I hope you’ll stop by to see me at MomOf6 – a place where I write about organizing your home, using a family calendar, creating household routines, hosting at-home birthday parties, and making meals that kids will actually eat!
Rachel says
I’ve been thoughtfully going through my kitchen lately, too. While we’re not quite out of the little kid stage I have let most of that dishware go. We eat mostly off of thrifted Corelle in white with several different patterns but all the same shape. It is not prone to breaking, I can fit a ton in my dishwasher and it is easy for the kids to put away. As things have broken (Pyrex explosion…yikes!) I haven’t replaced and we seem to be getting by with what we still have. I’ve also parted with a couple things that did their jobs well, the rice cooker comes to mind, but required either lots of space or too much care. I hated cleaning that rice cooker so using a regular pot just seems easier. I’m glad for a little more space in the cupboards which makes it easier to get to the things we use frequently. Our kitchen is really small for our family of 7 so items have to earn their keep or they don’t stay.
We lose lots of spoons here, too, I figure from quite a few meals on the go. I replace with the $.15 ones I like from Salvation Army.
Gina says
I just recently replaced all of my “baby” plasticware with really pretty melamine from Crate & Barrel. Totally worth it. We were still using colorful IKEA cups and bowls and my kids are now 9, 9, and 11. I do like plasticware because we don’t buy any paper products.
Sharon at Momof6 says
I don’t use paper products in the kitchen either- we even use cloth napkins. But for me, I wanted “real” plates- I was done eating off of melamine! I figured that for all of the time I spend cooking nice meals for my family, I should get to eat them off of a plate I would find in a restaurant too!
holly says
What’s really bugging me lately is all our glasses for pop etc are mis matched. I want to buy a set of 4 to 8 with a matching design so that it looks a little more elegant. We have open shelving for our dishware so its not like I can hide alot in the bottom cabinets.
Sharon at Momof6 says
When I decided to purchase new glassware, I was surprised that for a mere $25 investment, it could totally change how our meals looked, how our glasses looked inside of our glass-front cabinets, etc. It made me wonder why I had waited so long to buy new ones!
Susan says
Though we don’t have kids in our home my husband was leery of using our wedding china daily. I have a small setting of beautiful Wedgwood China and inherited my moms Noritake setting for 12 (!). Both are very simple designs–mom’s has just silver banding. We’ve been using them daily for about 4 years now, in the dishwasher daily too. I told my husband that he’s old enough to be carefull but if something breaks it’s OK. No breakage at all over the years. I purchased 4 stoneware pasta bowls a year ago and have broken 1 and chipped 2! Because of the silver trim I do have several Corelle plates and bowls for microwave use. Use the pretty stuff! You are worth it.
Sharon at Momof6 says
You are right- we are worth it and we should use the pretty stuff! Why else do we have it?
Marcia Francois says
GREAT prompt! I have 5-year-old twins and have been decluttering more and more of their stuff over the years but I’m going to toss the last of it out (you just watch me :)). I will keep one set of plastic for when they have friends over and want to have snacks outside but that’s it 🙂
YEE-HAW – my cupboards are going to be MINE again!
Kim says
Thank you! Thank you for keeping those dozen plastic stadium cups! I realize that these “treasures” clutter our lives, but often their purpose remains. Sometimes drinking sweet tea outside in my Ole Miss stadium cup just makes me smile. Thank you for efficiently storing those gems of yours and showing that not everything that is not completely elegant is a throw away!
Elizabeth says
My grandmother always used her “good dishes” which was fine china when we came over. She said anytime you have company is a special occasion and you should use your fine china…if you don’t they won’t get used. So her fine china was right next to the regular dishes for use anytime that was special. Now that I am an adult and have kids, I took her advice and if my child brings home an A it’s a special occasion and I use the fine china. It’s amazing what that does for your child. And really – so what if it gets chipped! All those extra hugs are worth it!