Anyone else not use their ‘nice’ stuff?

[Fairylightstwinkle]

I have things that are nice but I never use. For example, I have some pretty cleaning cloths and sponges, nice shower gel etc.

Always feels like they’re too good to use, which is so silly.

Is anyone else like this? I want to start using my nice stuff! How do you get over it and use your nice things?

No, life is too short - I use it!

I used to be like this, told myself life is too short and I am going to enjoy my nice things!

My mother loves to buy beautiful and fancy paper napkins. They are usually for dinner parties etc., but during the pandemic there was no dinner parties, so I convinced her to start using them for herself and my father. She had like 30 packages in a cupboard! Now she uses them, and enjoys them, not every day, but for Saturday evening, or for Sunday dinner.

Both: keep stuff for 'best', but have more special days when you use it.

Another chiming in to say we are clearing MIL's house after she died (at a ripe old age) so much 'for best' stuff totally unused which will get donated to the charity shop now.
Use the nicest things you've got every day- I have always done this as my mum is the opposite of MIL! I use the extravagant Jo Malone bath stuff or the 'best' china/crystal glasses on random Tuesday nights (or any day of the week!) and it makes an ordinary day that little bit nicer.

I grew up in a house where things were kept for best with no explanation as to what 'best' was and it always annoyed me so I use the fancy things when I feel like it. In fact just this morning I got my vintage coffee set out of the dresser for fika with some friends.

I very rarely use my nice crockery or glassware but it's because I'm lazy. They're not dishwasher safe!

Yes, don't use my nicer clothes very often. Mostly BC I'm home with a toddler and not working, and they require more work like handwashing, ironing, steaming, drycleaning, etc.

Wow It is so eery that I thought about this today!! I have so much of nice stuff, beautiful stuff that's just untouched. I've this week done another donation of clothing, mostly still tagged, unused and don't fit anymore from being kept for so long. My issue stems from growing up in such poverty and the shame around it. Today I reached for a beautiful outfit and then put it back just to dress in my old clothes that are worn ragged. It's sad.

I never used to use my best things. After my Mum died and my sister's and I had to go through her house, which is incidentally the saddest job in the whole world, we found her best linen, her best clothes, her best handbag, best watch, best china etc as Nd we sat and cried at how much pleasure she had missed out on by not using it. My sister's and I decided we'd try to find reasons to use our best crockery, I have a whole canteen in an oak of 100 pieces of silver cutlery, it's even got great fruit spoons, I use it now. Not everyday but on Sundays and whenever the DC come home or we have visitors. Everyday I use one of my bone china teapots, mini milk jugs and a cup and saucer. I set it out on a little bone china tray and if I have any visitors at all I use the bone china tall cake platters and sandwiches trays and bone china crockery. This Xmas I'm using my Mums best linen tablecloth. I wonder whether she'd mind. I really don't know for sure but it makes me sad to think she never enjoyed it as much as she could have. My Aunty gave me her wonderful set of pearls. She was given them on her wedding day and only wore them once. They were put away in blue tissue paper. She gave them to me when she was old but I made a point of wearing them every time when I went to visit her in her home. She told me she liked to see me wear them. I wondered if she regretted not wearing them more herself but never asked her as I didn't want her to get upset.

I have nice cleaning cloths too! They are gorgeous thick cotton with a pretty star pattern. I couldn't bear to use them for the dirty dishes, so after looking at them for a year I decided to use them as face cloths.

My New Year’s Resolution last year was to stop saving things for next.

Use them, indulge yourself and enjoy them.

We use everything. I don't really want my 'best' items saved for someone else to enjoy one day. Worse still, when they date or go out of fashion, the appeal diminishes. Every time we break a glass, I rejoice - it's an opportunity to enjoy something else.

I do this too. And I must stop this and use the nice things instead.

Im of the vintage where my grandparents and parent had "best" stuff. Sunday best for church, the parlour for visitors, best china for the visitors etc

I was in my 30s before it dawned on me that Im worth the BEST

So I buy and I use. I buy the best I can afford at all times and I enjoy it

I use it all. Keeping something for an unknown event, and possibly never getting to use it seems daft. And I say this as someone who did juts that for years. So I burn the candle, drink the wine and use the tea towel and appreciate the person who thought I deserved something nice

I use as my daily water drinking glasses some beautiful crystal glassware that my aunt had bought while on holiday and then stored unused for years in the velvet lined original box.

It is sad that she didn't feel like anything was best enough to use them for

Thanks everyone. I am going to start using all my lovely things!
Those that asked about the nice sponges, they’re called m-cloths and I have about 8 designs. I will try and find an image online and share below!

I found that once you start doing it, it's easy to apply to other things. I wear my Sana Jardin perfume every day. I wear my expensive leather boots to walk the dog. We opened a bottle of Champagne the other night and enjoyed it so much, almost because it was spontaneous and not tied into An Occasion.

Nora Ephron said that we should 'use the good bath oil,' and she was right.

I've just remembered something...a relative died a few years ago, and her husband found several unopened bottles of Chanel No 5 parfum, all in neat little Chanel bags. He told us that she had adored Chanel No 5, but I cannot recall her ever wearing a fragrance.

My relative had stashed away so, so many lovely things. Maybe it made her happy to do so, but it made me want to do the very opposite.

I have a beautiful set of silver cutlery, 3rd generation owner. I love it so much but we never use it because it has to be hand washed. I've just told my DH that this Christmas we will use it, if he doesn't want to wash it then I will. I am best part of 70, so time to enjoy it, pretty sure that when I'm gone the kids will flog it

Exactly! When actually is 'best'?

I used to be like it til this year. I had a set of glasses from Harrods given to me for my 21st birthday. Then for 35 years of marriage they have sat in my cabinet looking pretty & being saved for best. One day I looked at them & realised we'd probably die of old age & they wouldn't have ever been used!
Now they're used most days

These threads always brings out the examples of clearing out a relatives possessions, after death, and discovering these carefully preserved unused items.

The lovely perfume, the silk scarf or that dinner service. It's so sad they were never truly enjoyed as intended. Though I think my aunt used to like having and owning 'things for best' and would occasionally open the packets and look at them, or dust the dinner service.