Saving stuff for best.

Linda32

Hi,

No we don't save anything for best. I've oftern thought that with clothes if you do that, then you never wear them.

redlady_1

When I got married I refused to do the dinner service thing even though we had to entertain. So the one thing I picked was a dinner service by Denby and it has been used every day for 15 years.

The one thing kept for best is a deep red velvet suit which is kept for Remembrance Day. It has been worn every year since I bought it. Everything else is fair game.

scottishminnie

VfM4meplse wrote: »

This thread has really made me think!!
I have so much glamorous lingerie that goes unworn, I wonder if there is any correlation between sensible undies and my failure of a love-life? :think:

Glamorous undies should be worn - I'll admit to being a bit of an undie fanatic (along with shoes) but there is nothing better than knowing that you may be wearing manky jeans and wellies and be knee deep in slurry (possibly just in my case) but underneath I'm wearing a hot pink frilly thong and matching bra. Hubby also admits to liking the idea that underneath the sombre black dress, jacket and killer heels lurks something far more daring!

nannygladys

I used to save some things for best, but when I was going through a decluttering phase a few years ago I found Doulton, Royal Albert and the such like all boxed away, along with some stuff that I inherited, It seemed such a shame to get rid that I made a decision to use them all until they were all broken, so now we are eating off Doulton (very Mrs Bucket) drinking from cut glass and enjoying it and I dont feel guilty when the DD's DGD or me break anything cos at least they are being used for what they were made for.

There is one thing I wont use though and it a hand made tablecloth that some patients of my grandmother made way way back and the embroidery is out of this world, so that is looked after and looked at every so often!!!!

penelopedee_2

We had a boiler flood recently, and our boiler is in the airing cupboard. All of our stuff kept for a reason was in there.

All I can say is use it, wear it, cook with it, whatever it is! Most of our stuff has had to be dumped and I very much regret not using it.

Diflower

It seems the upshot of this is, it's ok to save things 'for best' so long as you actually use them 'for best'

We went through several sets of cheap supermarket crockery before I decided it was daft to have to keep buying it, but then I did manage to get a whole 16 piece Denby set for only £21 (thanks Amazon!). Obviously it gets used every day and is none the worse for it.
I also have a lot of Royal Worcester (Evesham gold), which did get used every day in my previous life and now is still used whenever I need a casserole dish/serving dish/extra side plates/want it to look nice.
Plus a few Waterford crystal glasses, which look soooo pretty when they catch the light - and sound so pretty when you 'ting' them. They come out for all sorts of occasions, sometimes just because we have a nice dinner

The lesson is, if it's in a cupboard - remember to get it out often enough to enjoy it:)

rinabean

The more you use silver, the less it needs polishing. I'm sure I've heard that fine china is strengthened by use, but that could just be a myth. Maybe it's just being more used to having it about means you're less likely to be overly conscious of how you're handling it and end up dropping it.

Keeping things for best is so foolish. I'm sure this thread doesn't need any more anecdotes about some dead relative's unused items going to waste or actually being ruined while they made do with rubbish all their lives. Miserable, isn't it? If anyone possibly needs any more reasons to get that china/silver/linen/whatever out the cupboards, consider what you're saying about how much you care about yourself and your family when you only get the good stuff out for guests! Enjoy life while you still can.

maman

MandM90 wrote: »

What kind? We have modern supermarket plates etc. (I'd never bother with a high maintenance/nice set with a three year old and limited time) and sometimes things get broken and we just replace that bowl/plate as they still stock bits. Also in the past we have had more guests than we'd ever anticipated so we've bought a couple of extra plates (though they always seem to just disappear again!)

Also we're both only in our early twenties there's some things I didn't have at all, such as a gravy jug and a big platter for the goose, which I picked up in the supermarket last year in preparation to host my first Xmas dinner.

Sorry, I didn't mean there was a problem with supermarket stuff. I have some really nice bits of white bone china that came from Asda (gravy boat specifically) and Wilkos. My comment was because some people don't seem to have more than enough place settings than for immediate family and were buying more for Christmas. It just made me sad when we're talking of huge dinner services hardly used.

Northern Princess, I have part of a set (originally 12 place settings) that my grandmother was given by her employer for her wedding at the end of WW1. Every Christmas the large meat plate comes out for my turkey. My brother has half the set too but I think SIL just uses it for display purposes.

Ironically I have 3 wedding rings: my own, my mother's and my grandmother's. I wear my grandmother's (almost 100 years old) all day, every day. It seems they made them thicker and stronger in those days. The other two just come out occasionally for dress purposes on my right hand.

Baileys_Babe

Most things we have are used everyday. But a few bits are saved for best, like cake stands and very large cake plates - trying very hard not to eat cake all the time. Crystal glasses and hand made glasses, mainly because they need to be hand washed. Importantly we have best very often could be a birthday, Christmas, friends visiting or just because we feel like it day. I like having a few things for best as it makes the special occasions feel extra special, but I am really glad we use them so we can also appreciate them. Where ever possibly we also have most of our best on display when not in use, so it is also being decorative.

Some of our possessions, not just best, have been inherited I find I always spend a few extra moments thinking of the person who previously owned them, which wouldn't happen if we never used them.

merlot123

I was given a very expensive dinner service for a wedding gift, 10 years later, I had never used it, and I happened to mention it on a forum I was on, and I got a PM from a company who were interested in purchasing it from me. They gave me an offer I couldn't refuse, they wanted the dinner service to spilt up for replacements for damaged items, they had numerous customers wanting replacements of that particular service.

I was pleased to sell it, it was still in the box, and I'm pleased others are actually using it.

I no longer have anything for best, if its in the cupboard unused for longer than 6 months, it gets sold, taken to a charity shop or a car boot sale. I'd rather other people enjoyed it rather than collecting dust.

merlot123