Rocks In My Dryer: Works For Me: Backwards Edition!

Today is Works-For-Me Wednesday: The Backwards Edition. That simply means that instead of offering a tip, you ask for one, posting a question that has had you stumped, letting your readers offer advice.

Now, I need your advice.

Lately, I've de-stuff-ifying. De-cluttering. Getting rid of the extras. Simplifying.

It feels good. Except when it doesn't, because sometimes it's confusing.

Here's the dilemma:

For some convoluted reason, we registered for fine china when we got married, nearly 14 years ago. We received ten complete place settings of Lenox Solitaire--it's a very formal ivory pattern with a wide silver band around it.

That lovely silver band that makes it so pretty? It also makes it so I can't put it in the dishwasher.

I DON'T DO THINGS THAT CAN'T GO IN THE DISHWASHER. (Interesting side note: I even put my Pampered Chef baking stone in the dishwasher, a confession which has caused many a Pampered Chef consultant to gasp in horror. Evidently, this is grounds for public flogging at the Pampered Chef Headquarters. But I've been plopping the SAME stone in the dishwasher for 10 years, without it cracking or warping or coming out tasting like soap. Let the flogging begin.)

Anyway, back to the china.

It's beautiful, but it's formal. We don't use it. We never have. We never will. We love having people over, but we cook burgers and put them on paper plates. It's just who we are. And no, I'm not the bring-it-out-for-special-occasions type of girl. When Hubs and I have a quiet evening of romance, I don't want to sit at my kitchen table (which is permanently sticky, by the way), eating by candlelight off of plates I'm going to have to handwash later. On occasions like that, we just go out.

But y'all, these plates are like new. They still have the Dillard's price tags on the bottom of each piece. It's kind of sad to think that all that money was spent on us for wedding gifts, when we should've just asked for Wal Mart gift cards instead. That would've bought a lot of Hamburger Helper, which is what we existed on our first year of marriage.

I promise, this is coming to a point.

It seems terribly wasteful to keep dishes we'll never use. They take up a lot of space in my dining room cabinet. We checked into selling them back to a dealer, but the whole set was going to bring in something crazy like $200. Ebay didn't look much more promising.

So here's my question. What should I do with the china? Get rid of it? Sell it for pennies on the dollar? Store it in the attic in case my daughter wants it someday? Burn off a little PMS energy and smash them in the floor? (I'm kidding, Mom, I won't do that. Probably.)

What do you think I should do with it? How can I be sensible and generous and practical with a cabinet full of unused, expensive china?

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