Do you have a china cabinet/thoughts on china you don't use

[mustardseed2007]

DH has acquired a treadmill. It's big. I run a fair amount, 2-3 times per week, so I did not object initially although where to keep this thing is a real problem. Also that's the reason we didn't own one before now even though I run 2-3 times per week.

Side bar vent: I came home from my long run AND picking up our grocery order yesterday (tired, achy, sweaty) and he had moved my bike trainer and mat out of the corner of the living room and dumped them in another area (that OBVIOUSLY is not a place where he intended for them to stay) to make room for his new giant treadmill. That's where I keep my bike and that's where I exercise indoors on my bike so I was PISSED he moved it without consulting me (bike is in the shop so he didn't touch that or I would have ended him). 

Anyway, I am trying to problem solve this even though this is his project.

We have a china cabinet that we can move into the entry. However I kind of wanted to put a buffet there to hold, not linens or silver ware, but my husband's card game stuff, that is taking over the other corner of the living room. 

He's several times lobbied to get rid of the china cabinet, but it has my grandmother's china IN it. We don't have space for the china with our regular dishes. But .... we also do not USE the china. Ever. 

When we have big get togethers, which only happens on holidays, we don't even use our nice dishes, we use paper plates (sorry environment). 

Should I get rid of the china? Should I get rid of my daily plates and use the china instead until I ruin it? I don't know how to get rid of china other than donate it and that just seems...horribly callous. But I don't know why. 

[mae0111]

I’m one of the few people left in the world that put a China cabinet into our house. Like - had a carpenter come in a build me a beautiful piece of furniture. I have all of my China and crystal in it - I have Waterford dishes and crystal. I also have Christmas dishes in there.

We don’t use it as much as I’d like, but we do pull it out when we have friends over for dinner. I don’t use the crystal often either, but it’s a collection for me, and there’s a story behind each piece.

It’s really up to you. I can’t part with my Nana’s China, or my other nana’s tea set. It’s silly and sentimental, but I can’t do it. If you like the dishes, use them! If not, sell them.

[mommyatty]

We have a lot of china that is very old and of sentimental value to DH’s family. Right now we are considering selling some of it because the sets are very valuable. (100+ year old Spode is pretty rare and highly collectible.) But some we will keep.

I have a hope chest my grandpa built me. It’s in our living room and is big. I use it to store serving pieces and linens. People can also sit on top of it. So I would consider something like that for the card stuff and possibly the china as it can have multiple uses. It could live in the entry way without looking out of place.

[phdmomma]

I think the china and the cabinet are separate issues. Right, like you could get rid of the cabinet but not the china, and stick the china in a trunk in the attic. Personally I would do something like that. My parents tried to pawn of the family heirloom china cabinet (empty) on me, and we just don't have room in the house. They ended up donating it. I don't have fine china, but I do have extra sets of dishes for family get togethers so that I don't have to use paper plates, and those live in a box in a box on a shelf in the basement. I would vote to get rid of the cabinet and keep the china in the attic or basement.

[mustardseed2007]

mae0111 , I like the dishes...so actually these belong to my paternal grandmother, who I never met because she died before I was born. My aunt was just trying to get rid of it and I naively took it.

My mother has an identical set, just by coincidence. I don't know if it was handed down to her or not.

Another thought is I could actually get rid of this set and take my mom's set in the future....by then I'm sure we'll be getting rid of the treadmill. I'm not sure where one sells china these days.

Putting it in the attic is another idea. We never go in the attic so I forget about it. we don't have a big one (two story house, so it's a crawl space type thing). We have a chest at the foot of our bed that I could clean out and put china in there also, but it wouldn't be big enough for tea cups. 

[k3am]

mustardseed2007, unless you actually WANT the china, don't waste your time and energy or sacrifice the things you DO want room for just to store it for no reason.

[2chatter]

We just had this convo! Everyone has China here - we are the weirdos who only have heirloom, not our own as well. Seemed ridiculous to me. I’ll keep my sentimental servingware, but don’t need “my own pattern”.

DH wondered if we can get rid of a buffet, a server, a China cabinet or a drinks cabinet (no).

So I am all for keeping, using sometimes, and feel your pain on the treadmill. I have been happiest with ours in our playroom or bedroom.

[covergirl82]

I have a china cabinet - we bought a used one a few years ago. Since my grandmas passed away in 2010 and 2011, I have acquired tea cups and other china from them (as well as some great grandmas), and I wanted a place to put them. My mom has a big Waterford collection, and I anticipate getting some of it someday, so I plan to always have a china cabinet. I'd actually like to get a different one, with a larger glass/display section (my current one has a smaller glass section (like the top third), because I'm already out of space.

In the bottom section, I have a variety of things, such as out-of-season decorations and DD's art/craft supplies. There are also a few drawers that we use to put bills and receipts, coupons, and some of the kids' work we want to keep, and once the drawers are full, we take them down to the basement to be filed (except of the coupons, which get tossed if they expire before we use them).

ETA:  Our china cabinet is in our dining area (not a separate room, and is more of a pass-through room).  I expect to get a few sets of nice dishes from my mom after she passes away or is done with them.  She has multiple sets from her mom, aunt, and grandmas.  I would like the set of clear Fostoria as it's heavy and hard to break.

[xctsclrx]

I have a china cabinet; it is in our dinning room off of the kitchen. We use it when we host a holiday so maybe once a year. If you don't use and you aren't tied to the china offer to family first then try to sell it. I am not a lets have things just to have them person.

[186momx]

We have one that is full with two sets of china along with tons of crystal glasses and dishes. From DH's grandmothers and we are not allowed to use it. Huge hutch with spot lighted glass tables. It is taking up half the wall in the spare room. I'm going to suggest to DH that we nicely wrap and package the china and crystal into Rubbermaid totes and store it in the attic and then sell the hutch to either a 2nd hand furniture shop or a antique store.

mustardseed2007, I would check with some antique stores about selling the china if you really don't want it along with the hutch.

[jr009j]

If you got the buffet for the card game stuff, would that living room corner be big enough to hold the treadmill or bike trains and mat?

I would probably get rid of the China and the cabinet. It sounds like it’s somewhat sentimental but you don’t use it. Maybe keep one piece of it as a decorative piece and all the rest.

My mom buys China from replacements.com. It looks like they buy it
www.replacements.com/sell-to-us

[mae0111]

I’m so surprised to hear that everyone has china! I have my set (Waterford dishes that came free with our honeymoon 😂), my nana’s, and my Christmas dishes (Lenox). Plus the Waterford collection. I’ve told my sisters and my mom that the only thing I really want from my parents’ house is my mom’s Christmas dishes. My great grandmother bought them in Italy. They are all hand painted (and probably loaded with lead) so every plate is different. I loooove them and absolutely do not need them at all.

I would use my China more, but my kids would break it. I plan to pull it out more when they are older and can be trusted.

[momof2]

If you are never going to use it, donate it. Otherwise, find another way to store it and then actually start pulling it out and using it a few times a year.

[sdlaura]

No China here, and very glad about it We registered for very nice everyday stuff that was microwave and dishwasher safe when we got married, and it has held up great. We do have sort of a China cabinet (a large piece of furniture with cabinets and drawers on bottom and shelves/glass cabinets on top, but we keep nice glasses and bakeware and that sort of thing in it, not China. I hate having stuff in my house that I don't use and just sits there - my in-laws are moving and keep trying to give us stuff and I keep turning it down. We're currently having built-in shelving and cabinets put in our living room and I'm super excited about it, but it's going to hold books and have board games and puzzles and electronic equipment and stuff we use in the bottom cabinets.

[polecat8]

I have a set of china that I inherited from my great-grandma when I was 18. Right now, we do not have a china cabinet since we don't have a dining room. Instead we have a huge eat-in kitchen. Luckily, our kitchen has a lot of storage, so the china sits in a corner cabinet. We don't use it most of the time, but we do pull it out for special holidays or occasions (so maybe 2 or 3 times a year?).
If there is one thing about the previous homeowners, it's that they made sure there was plenty of storage in this house.

[greenmonkey1]

Do you live near any fancy, small towns? Consignment shops will take china, but I feel like the shops in fancier towns are more likely to do so. If they don't accept china they are a good resource as to who will accept such a good for sale.

And I'm sorry your DH moved your stuff.  That was a low move.  When DH does that to me I usually move the stuff to his side of the bedroom or in his briefcase (if it fits).  Not so easy to move a treadmill..

[mustardseed2007]

Mar 25, 2019 14:31:38 GMT -5 greenmonkey1 said:

Do you live near any fancy, small towns? Consignment shops will take china, but I feel like the shops in fancier towns are more likely to do so. If they don't accept china they are a good resource as to who will accept such a good for sale.

And I'm sorry your DH moved your stuff.  That was a low move.  When DH does that to me I usually move the stuff to his side of the bedroom or in his briefcase (if it fits).  Not so easy to move a treadmill..

When I saw it I yelled at him. And said absolutely not. The treadmill is currently in the garage and it can't be used there bc the garage is full of other junk. 

[mustardseed2007]

Mar 25, 2019 10:58:07 GMT -5 jr009j said:

If you got the buffet for the card game stuff, would that living room corner be big enough to hold the treadmill or bike trains and mat?

I would probably get rid of the China and the cabinet. It sounds like it’s somewhat sentimental but you don’t use it. Maybe keep one piece of it as a decorative piece and all the rest.

My mom buys China from replacements.com. It looks like they buy it
www.replacements.com/sell-to-us

Negative to that. The corner where he is currently keeping the stuff is right next to the TV. Like adjacent to it. The treadmill would stick out from the wall too much. 

[waverly]

Can you get rid of garage junk? Or basement? Obviously hard to lug down stairs. Ours is in the basement.

We never registered for china nor do we have a china cabinet. I have some dishes handed down that were hand painted. But we didn’t even keep very much of that and they just sit there in the kitchen cabinet not being used. So I am not super into keeping that stuff.

I can’t say what to do with the china or cabinet. I would probably try to find a better place for the treadmill in general rather than clearing out furniture I am not sure about.

I feel like gaming and card stuff could go elsewhere in a storage trunk or closet rather than the corner unless you really want to keep it there.

[ECB]

For the fact you say that you “naively” took it, it sounds like you’re not really all THAT attached to the china. Why do you feel you need to keep it, OR keep it displayed?

I kind of put china into the same category as a LOT of other stuff that I feel like older generations pass down, expecting younger generations to WANT this stuff, to keep it, and then pass it down some more. But it seems like more often than not, it’s more of a burden.

If you liked the china and actually used it, I’d say keep it and lets continue the talk about how to save space. But if you’re keeping it because you simply feel like you “should”... why? Even the same with your moms set. If you get it eventually - do you WANT it?

All that said - my stepmother uses plates as decorations. Not a lot of plates, but she has a couple hung and a couple on holders on shelves. You could save one or two plates to use as decoration if you actually like the look of it.

We registered for china. Got ONE place setting, then talked about it and both DH and I were like “do we really NEED china? Will we actually use it?” And we realized probably not and we returned the one place setting. NO REGRETS!!!!

[k3am]

ECB, I have so many feelings about what you posted. My mom has been planning to die forever. She has a house full of things passed down over the years, and I'm pretty sure I'm getting a sewing machine from the 1800's, a dining table from the early 1900's, and other miscellaneous things. All of which I *don't* want. It makes her happy to be giving them to me, and once she does pass away, I'll offer them up to my sisters and if they don't want them, find a way to get rid of them. I have guilt over that, but... I also don't want them.

I have one item from my mom (my grandma's cheap ring) that I want and I've been vocal about it, so hopefully, I get it. I'm actually considering asking her if I can just have it now, but I don't know if it will happen. According to my sister, it's "traditionally" been passed down to the eldest daughter. My mom was the only girl, and it was new to my grandma. It doesn't fit either of my sisters and the gold is too thin (depression era) to be sized. So I think it should go to me, but apparently as last in line, I don't get a say. I was allowed to wear it for my wedding ceremony... my sister demanded it back a during the reception. Somehow, my mom has possession again.

We didn't register for china, but we did register for a lot of party/serving ware. And then realized.. we lived in a 1 bedroom apartment and planned to for the foreseeable future (turned out to only be a year) and returned the majority of it. I am just now, 9 year later, to the point where I wished I had it. But I still don't have room to store it for use 1-2x per year.

[justcheckingin73]

We registered for china and received 2 sets. I held onto them for years and finally sold them for half price on ebay.

I also inherited my grandma’s china cabinet which my Dad made for her. When we renovated our first floor and kitchen, I made the very hard decision (with my parents blessing) to get rid of the china cabinet/hutch. It’s so big and although I used it, it took up way too much space and I was ready to pare down. Plus, it was way outdated and I don’t have it in me to try to fix it up. I now have a buffet that houses some of the items that were in the hutch and then additional cabinet space from the renovations.

I also made the decision to get rid of my treadmill which was in the corner of the room that housed the hutch. I prefer to run outside and it was taking up space. I have to say I missed it this winter and could have used it but we just don’t have the space for it.

Can you put the dishes in storage and then make the decision later? Or try to sell them on ebay? I also like the idea of displaying one of the plates if you like the design.

[divanerd]

I would keep it. We have built in cabinet in DR.