Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Things you buy once and then make do with for the rest of your life

281 replies

Ubiquery · 05/11/2021 08:19

Cutlery sets. Has anyone ever changed their cutlery set? If so, why and what did you do with the old set. I reckon I will have mine for the rest of my life and never change them.

DP has just chipped another bowl this morning. Most of our crockery set is chipped so I'm toying with breaking them all up for crocking and buying a new one. It'd cost about £25 but feels incredibly wasteful and decadent.

My mum has had the same towels all of my life. None of them match. They are threadbare and patchy. I find it so sad. I wonder why she doesn't just use them all for rags and buy a brand new bale so that they all match and are clean and fluffy.

What things have you bought once and reckon you'll never replace even if you should (my mum's towels) or could (my cutlery set)?

OP posts:
FluffyBooBoo · 05/11/2021 08:43

I've had more than one set of cutlery. I left my first set with my ex. I'll probably have this set for a long long time though.

I have my grandmother's cookie cutter set. I don't think I'll ever replace that. It's many many years old.

Pheebs2021 · 05/11/2021 08:47

My big kitchen knifes.
They are in awful condition peeling etc at the handles but I wouldn't know how to dispose of them.

Aderyn21 · 05/11/2021 08:49

I can't think of anything I'd keep forever apart from jewellery. And even then, I'd upgrade if I could afford it. My wedding ring is the only thing we'd only buy once I suppose. I'd always replace towels etc. Cutlery I've kept because I got an excellent set as a wedding present and it's still lovely. I replace plates and glasses because they do get broken.

BonnesVacances · 05/11/2021 09:00

I was just thinking about cutlery only the other day. We've had ours for over 20 years. Teaspoons come and go, where do they go though? But the rest is all as we bought it years ago.

Peppaismyrolemodel · 05/11/2021 09:02

Mop bucket 😕
It’s only 3/4£ for a new one.. but it is ALWAYS bottom of the list.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 05/11/2021 09:02

I was recently given new cutlery as a gift. Old set is 11 tears old and in a box for bbqs etc (when you need more!)

My plates are old, chopped and mismatched and on the list for replacement when funds allow.

Geppili · 05/11/2021 09:03

My Brabantia bin.

Eltonsglasses · 05/11/2021 09:03

Has anyone ever changed their cutlery set?

Not replaced but I have had to buy several over the years as some bits go missing. Same with the dishes, I have never binned a whole set but we have brought in more. I'm not fussed if they are all matching though.

GreenTeaBlackCoffeeAndRedWine · 05/11/2021 09:06

Inside bins, mine are very old.

Plates, glasses, cutlery, place mats for the table, etc.

NatriumChloride · 05/11/2021 09:06

What an interesting thread! Like PP I was given a beautiful cutlery set for a wedding gift and I don’t think I’d ever change them - they’re still shiny and glossy and look gorgeous. Although the teaspoons have mysteriously halved in quantity, and they’re too expensive for me to buy right now.
Bedding and towels get upgraded and thrown out as needed, which isn’t very often at all. In fact in 15 years I can only think of one duvet cover set I’ve thrown.
My flip flops that I wear around the house are almost falling apart and the colour layer has all been stripped away but they’re still going strong after 8 years of almost daily use! I don’t see me throwing those out any time soon! 😂

Lalallama · 05/11/2021 09:07

Yes I can't imagine ever needing to replace cutlery. Although having said that we bought a set with 12 of everything when we first got married and now we only have 8 knives, but randomly about 20 teaspoons. Where have the knives gone and where did the teaspoons come from?? Will we eventually have to buy new ones when we find ourselves trying to cut up our dinner with teaspoons?

DietCokeChipsAndMayo · 05/11/2021 09:10

This thread is manning me see just how much shit my kids break
I have to buy glasses/bowls/plates generally once a year as so many get broken we end up with not enough for everyone to eat at once - everything is chipped in the mean time but I can’t replace them every time they’re chipped

My contribution to this thread is scissors - ours are about 10 years old and wouldn’t cut butter, yet they’re never on the shopping list for some reason?!

DuneFan · 05/11/2021 09:10

My plastic measuring jug. It was 20p from Wilkos in 2002. It's a good size and shape and i don't need a new one . . .

We had a party for 55 people a few years ago and my MIL supplied all of the cutlery and crockery- her own set, her parents, my FIL's parents and her gran's . . . We have inherited another set since . . .

mafted · 05/11/2021 09:10

Cutlery sets. Has anyone ever changed their cutlery set? If so, why and what did you do with the old set.

Our first cutlery was from the pound shop back when everything was £1. It was terrible obviously. Bent constantly and the handles had to be taped on but we were really skint and made it last for about 3 years!
Then we got a set from IKEA which we still have and use when we have big parties but we inherited my grandparents 50's wedding cutlery set seven years ago. It's beautiful and I think it will last forever. Although I'm always trawling the internet for matching teaspoons as they seem to just disappear.

samwitwicky · 05/11/2021 09:11

@BonnesVacances

I was just thinking about cutlery only the other day. We've had ours for over 20 years. Teaspoons come and go, where do they go though? But the rest is all as we bought it years ago.

I have been asking the same question lately. Where do the teaspoons go?! I bought a pack of 4 from Asda just to replace the everyday teaspoons, and recently had to buy another.

Where do they go?!?!?!

ponkydonkey · 05/11/2021 09:12

Le cruset... they won't need replacing.

Tin opener I've had that for 40 years

Black pepper mill is over 60 years old!

But I did buy a lovely set of cutlery recently as the old habitat set I bought in 2001 had mostly disappeared

LindaEllen · 05/11/2021 09:15

@Ubiquery

Cutlery sets. Has anyone ever changed their cutlery set? If so, why and what did you do with the old set. I reckon I will have mine for the rest of my life and never change them.

DP has just chipped another bowl this morning. Most of our crockery set is chipped so I'm toying with breaking them all up for crocking and buying a new one. It'd cost about £25 but feels incredibly wasteful and decadent.

My mum has had the same towels all of my life. None of them match. They are threadbare and patchy. I find it so sad. I wonder why she doesn't just use them all for rags and buy a brand new bale so that they all match and are clean and fluffy.

What things have you bought once and reckon you'll never replace even if you should (my mum's towels) or could (my cutlery set)?

We bought a new set when we had the kitchen done, as I wanted everything new and matching. I don't see any reason we'd replace it now.

I've had the same hairdryer since I was a teenager and it still works perfectly, so there's one I don't think I'd replace! (I don't use it very much to be fair as I usually let my hair dry).

riotlady · 05/11/2021 09:15

I’m not sure- I realised a lot of our household stuff (plates, cutlery, pillows) were things my mums old ones she gave me when I started uni over 10 years ago, and a lot more was stuff that I’d bought extra cheap back then myself. So recently I’ve been trying to slowly upgrade some of it but I can’t see anything lasting forever

thecatsthecats · 05/11/2021 09:15

I'm purposefully replacing some of my older stuff with even older second hand stuff from the era things were made properly! For example my mum's coffee grinder was a wedding present from the seventies, but it was built to last and has a nice retro style.

Plus refurbished expensive tech is good too - e.g.high performance laptops that I could never afford originally.

Original poster
Ubiquery · 05/11/2021 09:17

My plastic measuring jug.

Yes, good one. I meant to include that. Growing up my mum used the same plastic jug for measuring (obviously), making and serving the gravy and washing our hair in the bath. She still has it and it's the only one she has.

Laundry basket and clothes horse. I can't imagine replacing them. But the clothes horse isn't the first one I had, back in my uni days, as the ex took it when he left.

OP posts:
Original poster
Ubiquery · 05/11/2021 09:18

Cheese grater. Can't see that changing. I've got through a few tin openers though. Buy cheap, buy twice.

OP posts:
Aroundtheworldin80moves · 05/11/2021 09:22

Some of my mixing bowls are older than me. (For the Kenwood Chef... unfortunately that is not the 1982 model, that blew up 7 years ago. So the replacement is 7yo now!)

PhantomErik · 05/11/2021 09:23

I've had the same cutlery set for 20 years but have added things like long handled tea spoons etc.

Tea towels I replaced last year, old ones became cleaning rags.

My few remaining unchipped plates I actually sold on Facebook. They were really pretty but I was fed up of mismatched ones so bought plain white ones from B&M. They're not as lovely & fine feeling but are simple & robust so I'm happy!

Lalallama · 05/11/2021 09:23

I have been asking the same question lately. Where do the teaspoons go?!

They all come to our house. The one on the very left is part of our proper set, which we have 12 of. All the others - absolutely no clue.

Things you buy once and then make do with for the rest of your life
Onlyabean · 05/11/2021 09:24

I bought an electric knife in 1989 and it is still going strong.

Swipe left for the next trending thread