No More Mugs

In a tragedy that would hurt me daily if I didn’t work so hard at not thinking about it, I’m not allowed to buy more mugs. Not one. None. That’s been the rule for years…and yet, somehow, more creep in. I don’t know how. I follow the rules!

Don’t let that rule make you think we’re a houseful of mug-haters! On the contrary! We drink a lot of tea. And coffee. Hot cocoa. And we love a good soup. So naturally we love mugs. Tall and narrow, short and fat, big or small (but not too small,) we love them all.

And I mean, all.

Let me explain.

When I need pans, I buy them new—when I need pans, that means non-stick pans, because otherwise I have my glorious will-last-a-lifetime All-Clad scratch-and-dent from my wonderful father, which you can have when you pull them from my death-stiffened clutched fingers IF my roommate isn’t already there to defend them.

I’m always down for a new kitchen gadget, and those I also acquire new. For reference, see my Instant Pot, my multi-cooker, the air fryer, the stand mixer, the spiralizer, my beautiful Vitamix…

But dishes? Variety is fun, and also dishes are transient. We tend to be clumsy, you see, and we don’t really care. I figure there’s enough guilt in the world—no one needs to feel bad because they broke part of a fancy set of dishes.

Chips happen.

So in my house, the cabinet is full of thrifted dishes. Thrifting is just a laid-back treasure hunt with a near-guarantee of some sort of success, so if we need something, I’ll drop by the Goodwill and pick up a new-to-me small or large plate, cereal bowl, sauce cup, whatever. If I can’t find a good one, I’ll hit another store next weekend. Glasses? Same. What delight to find a new cool-looking glass, relinquished and abandoned on a thrift store shelf! Silverware? Oh, that one is fun indeed. A quarter here, a dollar there, and I’ve stocked both my house and my work so no one will ever again need to steal my lunch fork that I forgot in the dish drainer, grrr… (I really liked that fork, okay? And I still haven’t tracked down the thief!)

We used to do that with mugs too, just picking up whatever struck our fancy on the shelf at Goodwill, but…well, mugs. Very quickly we all had a favorite mug. Then we had two favorites each. Then…well, we’re not allowed to buy mugs anymore. It’s just unsustainable.

We have an entire shelf, you see. With a wire rack, to add more space. And then another shelf, out of short-people reach, of mugs we are only allowed to take down if we get rid of other mugs, or if a favorite suffers a tragic fate. And honestly, it’s ridiculous.

Except we have some really great mugs, so it’s hard to regret.

This is my coffee mug. It was bought new, my souvenir from an awesome trip. (And I bought it a loooong time ago, syk.) Equally important, it holds a lot of coffee. Three-fourths of the French press. It’s a hero.

This one is too small to actually use (why 11 ounces? Why? Who drinks 11 ounces of Morning Vitality??) but it was a gift from a friend of the child’s that I adopted (I have many children now) and I will not part with it.

This, obviously, is a mug meant for tea while reading, roomie’s favorite way to enjoy both. It’s a thrift find, a completely necessary purchase.

It’s the shape of this one, along with it being a NaNoWriMo mug. I have a mug this shape too, picked up at a state park I love to visit. (within the years of the mug-banning, cough.) Diner mugs are good. They fit nicely in the hand, and they have a good bend for holding to one’s forehead when headaches strike.

This one has a pleasant shape. That’s all people can tell me, but that’s enough, it stays. Another thrift find.

Size does matter when one loves cocoa, so this thrift find still has a home.

Unfortunately this one is tiny and not good for much of anything, but it’s not mine so I can’t pass it on.

The sad thing is, that’s less than a fourth of our mugs.

But it’s all good! We drink a lot of tea and cocoa and all, so we go through them! We never have all of them in the cupboard. Right?

…right?

Well, to be honest—I use my Marauder’s Mug for coffee, and never anything other cup. I do cycle through four cups (none pictured) for tea, but not like…in a circle. I’ll use one for my tea every time for a month, then maybe I’ll switch.

My roommate and the kids (of course) tend to like the same cups as each other, so though we have a cupboard full, there is much squabbling.

…so maybe, on second thought, we do need just a few more mugs?