I have avoided using my nice pots and pans for several years bc they were a wedding gift to xAH and I... But they were from my grandmother who is not alive anymore and whom I loved a great deal so I can't bring myself to get rid of the pots and pans even though I am sad often when I see them sitting there in the kitchen... Sigh... Just thought of this when I read your post...
Originally Posted by
honeypig 
I think that's a great move, FoG. I hope you have some great plans for the cash you got for them!
XAH and I didn't spend much on our rings; we found some silver Native American ones that we liked for a very reasonable price, no diamonds or other stones. He lost his somewhere many years ago, and I think mine might be at the bottom of the fruit bowl on the kitchen table--I haven't worn it in years, seemed it was always too tight or too loose, depending on my fat/thin state...
For me, an important thing that I replaced was our set of pots and pans! We bought them soon after we got together, scraping together the $$--they were not anything ultra-special like Calphalon, but nicer than the mishmash of worn-out Teflon we had. One day soon after XAH had moved out, I got out a pan to make something and felt really sad, thinking about what a big deal it was to get that set of pots and pans all those years ago. Then I thought "hey, these things are 20 years old and beat to $hit--I bet I could find a decent set for a reasonable price if I looked and then DITCH these!" And I looked, and I did find a set I liked that was not too expensive, and Goodwill got the oldies and I am happy when I cook now, not sad!