This post originally appeared on Capture Sunshine in November 2014.

Last week, we ran out of adult {boring, beige and linen} placemats at dinner. My daughter, who has decided she no longer wants to use kid placemats {fun, plastic and Disney) went to the cupboard and grabbed one of the “fancy” {wedding registry, Pottery Barn, we never use them} placemats. I told her she couldn’t use that one because it was fancy. She just looked at me and asked “Why?”

I didn’t know what to say, so I said “Good question.” I shrugged my shoulders and walked away. But it got me thinking, why do I save the “fancy” stuff? It’s not like we have very much of it, but still, shouldn’t we use it every day? We have a ton of glassware we got for our wedding that never gets used. I even do it with coffee mugs. I save my favorite one so it doesn’t get dirty and I use a non-favorite one every day.

If I purchase “expensive” shampoo, I am super careful about the amount I use. However, when I purchase a drug store brand, I fill my palm until it’s overflowing and going down the drain. I’m the same with make-up. If it’s been purchased at Sephora, well then I must use it sparingly. If it’s purchased at CVS, I’ll give it an extra squirt into my palm and throw the remainder in the trash can on a Kleenex. I’ve used the same perfume for seven years now. It is running low, but my birthday is coming up, so I’ll ask for a new bottle which I will then use for the next seven years.

When it comes to my furniture, I’m pretty liberal. We do have a “fancy” {I use this term very loosely} living room/dining room area and while it’s certainly not off limits, it’s also not used often. I do let my daughter and her friends have tea parties at the dining room table and I recently served teal frosted birthday cake to her friends at that table. Why do I think teal frosting on my dining room chairs is fine {they’ve been doused in Scotchguard}, but an extra pump of $15 shampoo is a no-no?

I’m not sure how this mindset started. We never really had fancy things growing up. In fact one of the fanciest things we had was a china tea set my parents got for their wedding. It was kept in a shoe box in a hall closet, never to be used. It was recently unearthed in my mom’s basement, long forgotten about. My older sister quickly snatched it up and was shocked at our moms nonchalantness about it. In fact, we’re not sure it’s ever been used {and I think it’s becoming clear where I get it from.}

So, things are changing around here. We’re going to drink water from fancy glasses, drink coffee from our favorite mug, use those fancy placemats at dinner, and maybe use an extra squirt of perfume every day. We’re only saving the fancy stuff for a rainy day, and you know it doesn’t rain much in the desert. It’s time to break out the fancy.