Once upon a time, my husband and I had a cupboard full of glasses: water glasses, juice glasses, pint glasses, wine glasses, champagne glasses, even whiskey glasses. Name a beverage, and we likely had a special glass for it.
In hindsight, it seems ridiculous – but we hadn’t gone out and purchased them all at once. They just slowly accumulated over the years we lived in our house. Some we bought for daily needs, some we received as gifts, and some we acquired for special occasions.
Some we used every day, and some we used just once or twice a year. But because they generally came four to six in a set, we had far too many for a household of two.
When we moved to the UK, we said “enough” to all those glasses. Since they didn’t make the trip overseas, we had a chance to start over – and we did so with four simple tumblers.
Our strategy was to start with those, and add more only when absolutely necessary. As we’d moved to a foreign country where we knew very few people, we didn’t anticipate throwing big cocktail or dinner parties.
Well, I’m happy to report that eighteen months later, we haven’t found need to add to our collection. Our various beverages taste perfectly fine in the same simple glass – who knew?
My greatest concern had been wine. Would the lack of a fancy glass do a disservice to a fine vintage? Maybe – but since our bottles of choice are generally in the sub-$10 category, I needn’t have worried. In fact, while traveling through Europe, I’ve been thrilled to discover that the restaurants we love most (rustic, down-to-earth, family-run) serve their wine the same way. I’m sure many a connoisseur would disagree, but I’ve come to prefer a simple glass over fussy stemware.
Ah, but what if we need to entertain? Well, we rarely host dinner for more than four people; and if called upon to do so, glasses would likely be the least of my worries (after plates, flatware, seating, and oh yes, a dining table). If the occasion arose, I would rent or borrow what’s needed, depending on the scale of the affair. At this semi-nomadic time in my life, I can’t justify owning all that stuff for a giant “what if?”.
So what do you think – have I violated all sorts of culinary decorum here? What’s the glass / people ratio in your household?
(This post is part of my “100 Possessions” series, in which I explain why each item I own deserves a place in my minimalist life.)
{If you’d like to learn more about minimalist living, please consider reading my book, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide, or subscribing to my RSS feed.}
First of all, thank you for all the insights I’m getting while reading your blog!
I don’t think there’s need for all that glassware! We had a set of 6 tumblers, of which one broke, and there is also a set of 4 simple wine glasses. My husband and I drink water all the time and occasionally I get a glass of milk, so those 5 remaining tumblers are in constant rotation. But I won’t rush to buy a new set if another two or three of them break :)
My parents-in-law have two cabinets filled with glassware – 12 glasses of each type (red wine, white wine, whiskey, shots etc. etc.). I don’t think it’s what my husband and I would want… Though what I really need to declutter are mugs.
Wine shmine, I don’t think drinking anything out of fancy glasses makes it taste better, but the glaring omission to me here is volume! Giant smoothies are a staple in my diet so I need a *big* glass to drink them out of. That being said, I’m very happy to drink them out of a jar but a tumbler just doesn’t cut it!
My family found the same thing but with mugs. At the time, we had an entire shelf of mugs but only two of us used them! We had hundreds it seemed like. Most of them having been given by my parents company, we decided to part with them all. We now have two sets of mugs for dinner parties (of which there are regularly) and then a handful of favourites for the family. It still looks like a lot but we’re down to less than half of what there was. I think mugs/glasses must just be one of those things that you collect without noticing. Most people I know seem to have an overly large collection.
And as for the stemware, I prefer stemless wine glasses, which can double as regular glasses when needed! Which also violates some wine rules, but I’m with you – simple is better!
In my house in the US, I have full sets of crystal, which got used all the time for entertaining.
When I moved here, I took the chance to pick up 2 each of water/wine/iced-tea/snifter in a favorite cheap pattern. My dishwasher’s done a number on the silvering on those, so I’ve just let them all go. I have one tumbler from Venice which makes me very happy. Otherwise:
There’s a store brand of sweet flavored spreads (chocolate, caramel, etc., for on bread in the morning) that comes in glasses just like in your picture, with a reusable plastic lid. I don’t know exactly how many I have now, as I use them throughout the house to corral stuff as well as as glassware. I expect that I’ll keep adding to the collection, as I keep buying the spreads. :)
What a marvellous idea! I’m off to buy some Nutella… ;-)
When we got married two and a half years ago, glasswear must have really been in vogue as we got oceans and oceans of glasses as presents from wine glass to these 2 giantic Brandy Glasses. All these beautiful glasses are all in storage at my inlaws house and we continue to use the same 4 (liberated) beer glasses that we acquired during our University Days.
Got to say you are absolutely spot on. The only thing I would suggest is buying four quality glasses that will give you pleasure whatever you are drinking.
We own 11 glasses for 2 people; this includes water & wine glasses. But we also own 12 tea/coffee cups & that’s definitely too many. But I’ve reduced a lot already and this allows for some breakage considering all of the glasses & cups are flea market finds=fragile. I prefer to buy used whenever possible. When we move again, I’ll probably reduce more just so I won’t have to take so much with me!
We have a lot of glasses, although they all came with the rented flat except for one mug, two shot glasses, and 2 special whiskey glasses. Far too many for the 2 to 3 people who live in the flat. Some of them we never use at all, except when we throw a party.
I think the number of glasses depends on the washing up schedule as well. Our flat came with a dishwasher, which is more energy and water efficient than washing in the sink, but only if the washer is pretty close to full when you run it. It works out for us to run it every 2 days or so, but that means we need 2 days worth of plates/mugs/forks/etc. I wouldn’t want to use more energy or water just to have fewer dishes in the cupboard, but neither do I find a glass for every purpose appealing.
Such a timely post. Just the other day I took a number of unneeded glasses to goodwill. We’re expecting our first child in less than two weeks and needed to make room in our cupboard for baby necessities.
In just the past few days I have realized something… the more glasses we have on hand, the less likely we are to wash them after use. If you know there’s another in the cupboard, it seems easier to just throw the dirty one in the dishwasher. But with fewer glasses available, you tend to quickly wash your glass after use. It’s not and more or less difficult, but your perception changes when you have more around.
We have a house of 4, but we have teens and other young adult kids who end up at our house so we have quite a mismatched assortment. I long for the kitchen that has open shelving and simple white dishes and glasses on the shelves.
One day!
Bernice
Keeping little hands busy while mommy works
This is so inspiring! We have about 30 glasses of varying shapes for 2 adults, and about 10 plastic cups for 2 kids. The kid cups DRIVE ME CRAZY! We even have 2 wine glasses, and we don’t even drink wine-they’re for sparking cider on New Year’s Eve! Silliness! We are military, so I will have a chance to declutter glasses in 2 1/2 years when we transfer. I will take you up on it!
We use two mugs for tea/hot cocoa/hot beverages, mason jars (leftovers from canning–which we do seasonally) for drinking cold beverages (also handy for taking liquids on the go–the lids are water tight and the glass is next to impossible to break). We also have four wine glasses since when we drink, it’s usually with company. Total: 4 in constant use; 4 waiting; numerous mason jars available for anytime (more available as we eat our canned goods over the year!).
In the UK, many supermarkets and wine merchants offer free glass hire when you buy wine. My nearest supermarket offer the service when you buy a minimum of 6 bottles (not many really, and it can include soft drinks, mixers, spirits etc.). So when we have parties we have a large selection of glasses for all types of beverage (also useful if people have one glass of wine/beer and then move to soft drinks), I’m not heartbroken over inevitable breakages and I don’t have to do the washing up. Since our entertaining is done only on a micro (1-2 guests) or giant-macro (street party-esque) style, there is no way would ever have enough space to store all the glasses anyway.
Day to day we drink everything out of mugs – hot and cold – which I find easier with children, as they have handles and tend to bounce.
We (my kids and I) are starting over as well. I took 5 color coded glasses – one for each of the kids and I, and an extra for my son’s girlfriend. They are too tall, so I am on the lookout for smaller glasses. I also bought one color coded plate and bowl for each person (kids, me, gf), so everyone has to wash their dish or they have nothing to eat with later.
I like that idea. Even if I add a few more for guests, I will keep those put up and hidden until we actually have guests so the kids don’t get out of the habit of washing their own dish.
Don’t drink alcohol for health reasons, but I can’t imagine wine tastes any different no matter the glass.
I found that having a complete set of Corelle
“Kobe” dinnerwear, in my case, eliminates most (if
not all) of the random mugs and bowls that used
to find their way into my cupboards! I love seeing
only white plates, bowls, and mugs with a simple
design- they are the reason I don’t let random junk
in;)
That’s us. Four glasses (not including wine – even I will never be that minimalistic), four dinner plates, four forks, etc… etc ….. We’ve yet to have a crisis as a result of our “bare” cupboards yet.
While I was reading this, a notion popped into my mind: a lot of this need for different types of glassware arises directly from the bridal registry. I recently had to purchase a gift for a young couple and was overwhelmed by the amount of items within the bridal registry itself. (For example, the couple wanted a set of margarita glasses, eight glasses along with the pitcher for server. Imagine the space that takes up!)
I think the bridal registry is due for a trim, perhaps a minmimalist’s bridal registry.
We didn’t have a registry, just asked anyone who wanted to to make a donation to our chosen charities – hey presto, no stuff to deal with :)
I have 5 tall tumblers, 5 juice glasses, 1 wine glass and 6 mugs. Way too many for one person! I’d like to ditch them all (except for a special mug that my mom gave me) and get a few tall white ceramic mugs. They seem to keep your water/juice colder than glasses.
Oh and bridal registries are awful…the poor couple signs up to receive the stuff because it’s just what people do, and they don’t need 90% of it!
I agree with you! I have gotten rid of so many things that that my husband and I registered for and it always makes me feel so guilty. Now I advise every engaged person I know not to register for so much! (And at the stores they try to get you to register for 12 settings of china, 12 settings for everyday, etc…thank goodness we did not heed that advice.)
What a timely post! I’m getting married soon and since my fiance and I have never had to buy my own dishes thanks to roommates who already own them, we can start with completely clean slate.
My fiance and I just had a wine tasting class yesterday and we both received a free wine glass – our first. Since we’re both somewhat new minimalists I have no idea whether or not we’ll keep the monogrammed glasses.
My wife and I have one set of 10 standard 12oz glasses that we use for everything…EXCEPT I happen to fancy myself a connoisseur of fine beers, wines, and spirits. I keep exactly one glass designed for each of the key liquors I enjoy, and I can say from expeirence that it DOES make a difference in the nosing and tasting experience. Still, this is a relatively small number of glasses and they don’t take up much room. I consider them “hobby equipment.” :)
Thank you SOOO much for this post. I’ve drastically reduced the amount of kitchen supplies I have, but for some reason I still have 10 coffee mugs, 8 wine glasses, 20 drinking glasses, etc.
I live alone and I never entertain because of lack of space.My goal this week will be to get rid of most of them!!
We’re a family of 4. We each have a coffee mug and a tumbler. I also keep about 4 other glasses in the cabinet for company.
Great post and very timely…I was just thinking that this weekend’s project would be to work on cleaning out my cupboards and this is one area where they can definitely be made more minimalist! We have two full shelves of glasses and mugs for two people. Ridiculous! The second shelf rarely gets touched as it’s all the smaller sizes. I think that by the end of the weekend that shelf will be empty and all I’ll keep is a shot glass or two that are mementos. The other shelf can be drastically cleared out. We only have three or four mugs that we use regularly and the same for glasses. In our house there are no fancy glasses for different liquids…and my wine still tastes great!
I have two mugs, two tumblers, and two wine glasses. The wine glasses were a gift, otherwise I’d be fine with just drinking wine from the tumblers. That’s what all my Italian friends do, and I’m pretty sure they know their vino!
“So what do you think – have I violated all sorts of culinary decorum here?”
No. If your tumblers are working for you, go for it!
Some people say wine tastes different in crystal, and that has not been my experience, but I do see a difference when drinking from something with a thinner edge. (The mechanics of sipping come out differently somehow.) Our tumblers have heavy, rounded edges (which is great for daily use, since they don’t break easily), so they’re not great for wine.
We haven’t started decluttering the kitchen yet, but I’m pretty confident that I’ll keep my two martini glasses. I don’t drink at home frequently (once or twice a month), but when I do, I try to make it an aesthetic experience too. I love the lines of the glass, they way they hold a garnish, and the way it displays the bubbles in champagne. So I think they earn their space both through usefulness (thin edges) and beauty (consistently making me happy each time I use them).
I have been contemplating the same thing when it comes to dishware. I have some pfaltzgraff dishes that are showing their wear, and what I’ve noticed is that we eat most things out of these squatty 6 inch round bowls. I fell in love with them from our favorite vietnamese restuarant. I’m thinking about converting to them. I can’t really think of a food we couldn’t eat out of them. They’re a little big for but would work for cereal. They’re perfect for soup. And pasta or rice dishes are great in them too. We are the hosts for family holiday events but I have a 12 plate set that is boxed up and brought out 6 or 7 times a year at least. Good thoughts. I think I need to evaluate my glassware now.
Lorie — I’ve been thinking the same thing. I only keep 4 place settings out in the kitchen, but we still eat from the same bowls almost all the time. We eat Buddha bowls almost daily for dinner, and salads for supper . . . it could work. It would sure be fewer dishes to wash.
I really don’t have anything to add, but I do love your post. I’m just curious if I get a comment from you too;)
I put my wine, beer, juice or otherwise into my favorite margarita glass?? WHY you may ask? Because I love my glass,it makes me happy and I like to enjoy a beverage, doesn’t matter what it’s served in as long as it’s served. : )
I keep 6 other tall ice tea glasses, 4 plastic ones (I have a 5 year old who is still learning not to drop things) and a set of 6 margarita glasses, again, because I love them. I do admit when I entertain, you will find yourself sipping out of a fancy (recycled) paper cup. : ) Makes my life easier.
I’m the only one at home since my son is away at college. I have 8 large coffee mugs, 12 shorter glasses with a short stem what are used for everyday beverages, wine and mixed drinks and 10 vintage small coffee cups that match my vintage dishes and are used for parties. I don’t wash dishes everyday so I need a few of each type. The number might seem excessive to some, but I’m happy with them. I can comfortably serve any type of party I have, even if I have them only a few times a year.
It’s perfectly okay to use tumblers, in fact rather chic. One of the comments referred to having the right glass for the right beverage as “hobby” equipment, and that is also a good approach. We also drink the lower-priced wines, so a total-experience via correct glassware is irrelevant. Tea, however, is another matter: I really do prefer a porcelain cup, and have a single large cup and saucer set for the purpose.
I like having quite a few handmade mugs, but I like to have them hanging under the (nearly empty) cupboard so I can see them! And as for wine glasses, there is something so unpretentious and sweet about drinking red wine from a little juice glass! I love it!!
I like that. “unpretentious and sweet” :)
We have dozens of glasses in various shapes and sizes (I’m convinced the one I’m currently drinking out of right now was stolen from the cafeteria at university.) This is because I have roommates and all 5 of us brought our own dishes from previous apartments.
It doesn’t bother me too much, and when I finish school and move into my own apartment, I’ll be back to only 4 simple glasses and 4 simple coffee cups.
My boyfriend and I must have at least thirty drinking of various types for just the two of us: glasses, pint glasses, mugs, travel mugs, wine glasses, champagne glasses, rocks glasses, etc. However, I’m trying to scale back. I started by narrowing down the wine glasses to around 8 nice ones (we do have people over frequently), getting rid of the less-nice ones. For me, I really enjoy drinking wine from an actual wine glass, so I want to keep at least a few. But we certainly don’t need so many.
Question: do you have mugs for coffee and tea, or would you use the glasses for those too?
Great post!
Well our glass to person ratio is pretty high, but with little kids we nevertheless seem to run out occasionally. Our son at five is old enough to have friends over, and our daughter at two is young enough that our relatives drop by at least once a week to hang out with her, and with all the various meals and messes, up to 10 people eating at the house, plus something always ends up on the floor, well, it adds up. Also my in-laws have this thing for having multiple drink containers available simultaneously while eating (one for water, one for juice, one for coffee or tea). I don’t understand it but whatever, it makes them happy. And now we’re putting together a babysitting coop so we can expect 10 kids over at a time every couple of months in the future.
And the saga continues with other dishes. We got 2 dozen plain white lunch plates from Corelle (small enough for kids, big enough for adults, hard to break, about $1 each with an online coupon) and although that’s a lot of plates they’ve worked out well. They are thin so they end up being only about a 4″ stack. Recently we also bought some cereal bowls and salad plates (hang the expense!) and we’ve been using those too. But like my aunt and uncle before me I suspect we’ll shuffle a lot of it off to new homes when our kids go to college, unless we move overseas again, in which case, sooner than that.
Our dish and glass situation doesn’t make me feel very minimalist. And yet that’s how we’re perceived among our peers, who, admittedly, are all in the same situation of having kids and company. Maybe it’s the combination of white dishes on white shelves in white cabinets?
We occasionally entertain 12 family members so I have 12 dinner plates and crystal iced tea glasses all kept in my china cabinet….no problem.
But my kitchen cabinet….oh my! Thanks for this timely post, I will donate my excess glasses, cups, mugs, etc. today!
LOVE your blog!
What great inspiration for me–thanks! I’ve been wanting to ditch some of my mugs and glassware for a while. Some of it is sentimental (logos, etc, from events) and I can’t part with, yet. But I have a few simple 16 oz glasses from my grad school apartment that don’t match any of the rest of our stuff–why do I still have them? They’re going! :)
I have to say, a few weeks back, an old mug cracked down the side and it had to be recycled. I was thrilled to have an excuse to get rid of it (I had no attachment to it). And now, I realize that I don’t need an excuse!
Furthermore, since we rarely drink and our friends aren’t really drinkers, why do we have so many wine glasses????
I’m sensing a new project in my world. Thanks for the kick! :)
Wow, what a hot topic! I don’t even have time to read all the replies!
My husband and I cut a lot of drinkware out of our life recently. And we probably still have too much! I realized we only drink out of pint glasses – tumblers are too small for me! So we got rid of every other size of glass. We kept 6 pint glasses, but I broke one this week – I think 5 will suit us fine!
We have 4 mugs – 2 are sentimental to my husband, one is really sturdy and awesome; I could probably get rid of the one that is “mine.” We also have 2 big mugs – one my husband uses for smoothies; the other is my preferred beverage-holder for everything non-alcoholic. It’s a white ceramic beer pint, but I use it for tea every morning and then refill it with water when I get home. Sometimes I use it exclusively for several days! My husband usually drinks water from his Kleen Kanteen stainless steel water bottle. I like to pour from mine into my cup, so I can track how much water I drink but not have to always drink from that big 40 oz bottle!
We also have 6 wine glasses which is probably excessive, since I don’t even drink wine. But they have come in handy when his family visits, they are all wine drinkers.
I like to keep things simple, and, as a mother of 8 (6 are boys), durable. We use glass peanut butter jars that I save and remove the labels from. PB&J is a trusty stand-by lunch for my family so we always have a new jar coming soon if we’ve lost one to breakage. This almost never happens though since the jars are so nice and thick. They hold 16 oz so they are the perfect size for drinking water which is our beverage of choice. for the occasional juice or milk for the kids I have 2 sets of colorful, plastic childrens tumblers from IKEA. I also have a special mug for my tea and a few extras for when the kids want cocoa. I do keep 2 nice glasses for company. They are the leftovers from my many failed attempts to keep nice glasses in the house for our daily use. Lesson learned. ;-)
Oh, I also wanted to add that we each own our own color coded stainless steel water bottles for trips out of the house. No wasteful, purchased water bottles for us. They sit on the top shelf out of the way until needed.
Ah but it’s so decadent to drink champagne out of your regular tumblers :)
We have six huge glasses for lattes and smoothies and milk shakes (and for when you just want a large drink of anything) and then we have 8 smaller glasses with thick short stubby stems (Ultima Thule by Iittala) that we use as small glasses, for wine, champagne, anything. We don’t have plastic mugs or cups for kids, they can use the real thing as well and if something breaks it’s doesn’t matter. We have a set of five mugs (used to be 6 but one broke) and two for our daughter. We use the dishwasher so we need more than one piece for each person (3 of us). This is enough so we don’t run out (except sometimes I take one of the big glasses from the washer and hand wash, so I guess we do run out of those because they get used the most..) and if something breaks it doesn’t necessarily need to be replaced.
Interesting how these things develop – when I first set up home, I assumed we’d have lots of company and made sure I had 12 of everything and my husband coming from an elegant home with numerous sets of china and glasses also made me feel as if that was what I should have, although in my small family of origin, we never had more than 6 of anything or fancy stuff. Having said that I just remembered the sets of glasses my mom was proud to get after about 20 years of marriage, she simply hadn’t been able to afford them before. Fair enough.
Anyway. Later I realised how silly it was to compare to other people and got rid of loads of glassware. However, I find I still have some: my 6 sherry glasses were a special gift and we use them whenever we have English visitors, several times a year and I use them for tiny flowers, too. Even though we live in a wine-drinking country I now only have 4 plain white wine glasses, despite criticism from visitors, but I only drink wine when guests are here. My husband complains the red can’t develop properly in them but I don’t care, though I do have two different single big red wine glasses if he wants to use them. He and my mom complained when I used non-wine glasses for wine one Christmas. All my glasses were cheap (Ikea) – I don’t get expensive glass ware. It’s glass. It breaks… We also have exactly the number of champagne glasses for our family because we frequently drink champagne. For everyday drinks I prefer glasses that aren’t too big, as I’m trying to stop my family being greedy, especially with juices or sweetened drinks, I find 2 cl is plenty and we usually keep to one glass each per day, needing a few more for the dishwashing cycles (my next dishwasher will be a narrow 45cm model instead of the standard 60cm, who needs such a big one, you need way too much china/glassware!!).
Mugs are another thing – I agree, they multiply!! I keep getting rid of them and others arrive to take their place. Oh well. We do drink lots of tea and hot chocolate, so smallish mugs to keep the drinks hot are standard for us. I need to weed every 6 mths or so!! Still, I don’t really want to be more minimalist than this.
We live in a 35-foot motorhome so have very little not-used-regularly stuff, We hosted a family wiener roast in a state park and my SIL, not thinking what she was doing, brought bottled beer to drink, which is a no-no in the state park. So she asked me for something into which they could pour their beers. All I could find was two nagalene water bottles and some Tupperware iced-tea glasses we use for storage. :) DH does have a glass juice glass because it came with a holder we needed and we have a small plastic tumbler in the bathroom. I have since added two heavy-duty plastic double-walled glasses with screw-on lids with plastic straws since a facial injury made it necessary for me to drink from a straw for a long time. We definitely are not typical. :)
Wine glasses are one of those things that make me happy when I use them (daily). That and a great coffee mug. So, unless I also become nomadic =), I think that I will always have wine glasses on hand. And champagne flutes! Obviously I’m not ready to be fully minimalist about wine…
But I certainly think it’s fine if someone wants to drink their wine out of a tumbler. Why not? In a city where I formerly lived, there was a great pizza place that made a point to serve their wine that way. But I would have preferred a wine glass because of the ceremony of it…and because to me it feels special even for the everyday. To each her own!
Coffee mugs are what caused me the most grief. I probably had around 20 before tossing quite a few out. I still have close to a dozen, but that’s only because each family member refuses to ditch a “special” mug from wherever we spent our vacation during a particular year. If it were solely up to me, I’d get rid of all but four mugs.
Good timing Miss M… Having recently (4 months or so ago) culled the drinking options I can answer without embarrassment ;) We currently own 2 glasses (10 ounce, I think) and 1 wine glass (having given the rest to a newly married couple) as I prefer to go out when there are more then coffee and cakes to be served, it has not been a problem at all. The lone wine glass would have been history if not for the fact that I prefer the only soda I drink in it (Vernors, for those of you not from Michigan, it is ginger ale on steroids).
We have three 3-oz. ramikens (there were four, but one broke). I drink only water; he drinks mainly water but occasionally a beer. He drinks the beer right out of the can. We do keep paper cups–in case!–but we have been on the same 100-pack of paper cups since 2008 (or maybe it was 2007).
We order food in for get-togethers, and you can usually order the drinks too. Some people say that’s not ecologically sound–but I can tell you with authority that it’s sanity sound.
You know what gets me about glasses? I enjoy visiting a brewery or a special event at a bar from time to time, but as a recovering sucker for the freebies, I.
Oops, posted before I was ready… as I was saying, I enjoy visiting a brewery or a special event at a bar from time to time, but as a recovering sucker for the freebies, I found over the years this added up to having about a dozen or so pint glasses at home with logos on them. What really got me is realizing advertising had infiltrated my own home. I recently went through my stuff to try and purge company logos out of my everyday items. I concur that the clear, simple glasses are definitely best.
Well I like a different glass depending on what I’m drinking, but I still don’t think I go overboard. I have:
6 20oz water glasses (I drink a lot of water and I like lots of ice – a big glass is a must)
4 double rocks sized glasses (cocktails and sweetie drinks scotch)
6 coffee mugs (coffee mugs are a must)
2 balloon wine glasses (sweetie and I only drink red wine and the glasses are our special ones)
6 champagne flutes (champagne is a family favorite over the holidays and we always serve lots of it)
1 travel coffee mug
But plastic drinkware will never enter my house. The whole time I was growing up my dad was always bringing home those plastic souvenir glasses/cups and they took over the counters and the cabinets and everything. I loathe them. I think I have plenty of glassware for me and my sweetie and the occasional guest we have.
It’s interesting to read what everyone else does about glassware. I’m not a wine officionado, but I have six wine glasses for holiday dinners (I use them for water, iced tea, or sparkling cider). I just think they look nicer on the table; they dress up my everyday creamy white dinnerware. For daily use, we have six glasses (about 16 oz.) and six mugs (for tea, coffee, cocoa). My husband and I have one teenage daughter still at home; our older daughter and son-in-law visit often, as does my mother, so that works out to one of each type of “drinking vessel” each. I keep a vintage Blue Willow coffee cup next to the kitchen sink for anyone who just wants a quick drink of water. As long as no one is sick, we all use it and it gets washed every day or two. (We use recycled paper cups for someone who has a cold or the flu.) This works well for us. If we happen to run out, we just wash a couple of glasses by hand — no problem.
No, four glasses is two more than you need!! Just kidding ;) When my husband and I moved from Ohio to Oregon we brought two forks, two spoons, two cups, etc. Two of everything. We kept it that way for a long time until we eventually got married and then you know all of the crap that comes with that! We’re going to be traveling long term and we’re giving away/selling all of our stuff and it’s amazing how it accumulates. I was packing up some glasses to give to my sister and realized we probably had at least 25 different glasses. Why? And, HOW? It’s amazing the effort it sometimes takes to keep things out. OH, but also, if you need extra glasses you can always use pasta sauce jars or other glass bottles. I’m sure you already know that trick :)