Hope chest

[faith5x5nomore]

So I was talking to my SO yesturday about things we are going to need for the move. We both owned our own homes here in Pa but when he moved he gave alot away and I don't have much anymore because everything was split in my divorce. We decided that we would ask for some of these items for Christmas but this got me thinking about when I was a kid my mom would tell me and my sisters about starting a hope chest. She's very old fashioned !!! For those who don't know what a hope chest is, considering I am older then most of you on this site. lol basically you buy or are given items ( Pots and pans,towels,coffee pot etc.) for your future in the hopes that you marry. I thought I would bring it up here because it's something you might want to consider... All those little things can really add up money wise and yes if your planning on getting married there is a thing called a bridal shower that you can ask for most of this stuff but for those of you who aren't you might want to do this. Bring it up to your SO as well so they to can start there own and depending on when you make your move you just might have a good amount of things that you won't have to go buy.

[Silviar]

I know what a hope chest is! ^.^ Some places have a bigger tradition than others for them, but I think they're a great idea, like you mentioned.

Can I ask how old you are? You don't look that old in your picture.

Personally, I'd love to do a hope chest, but it would cost me more to ship the stuff over to Australia than it would to purchase it, so I'm stocking up cash for the house set-up.

[squiddie]

I've heard of hope chests, and I know people who still do them.

For me though, it's a little impractical. I've lived on my own for 3 years now, so I have pretty much everything I need, as does he at this point. The only thing neither of us has is a slow cooker, and honestly that isn't going to set us back too much.

I think they made more sense when people got married younger, and didn't leave home beforehand. Like when they got married immediately after leaving school (secondary or college). But now it's very common for young adults to be living on their own, either in college or afterwards, and as such, tend to accumulate home items.

(Just an aside: It's actually rude to expect a bridal shower. Yes, they are commonplace, but not a requirement.)

[BrittBlaz]

I started my hope chest a while ago thanks to my grandma and grandpa. My grandpa built me an actual wooden oak chest for all my things and over the years I have collected some very nice things for it like bamboo cutting boards, measuring cups..etc. My grandpa also built me a matching recipe box and I have collected old family recipes over the years as well. I get new recipes for my box every christmas, or I just make my own if I know someone with a good recipe that I want to steal . I think it's time though to start stepping up my game though haha. I still have a lot of spare room in that chest.

[faith5x5nomore]

That's actually a good idea, maybe we should start a thread on recipes although it's probley been done before. To Silviars question, I am 35 <------ Old lady lol

[Tanja]

That's a pretty good idea! Not sure how much it would cost though if you had to travel across the globe with it...

But if you had it in the home you're going to live in together it would definitely be useful!
I don't need one anymore since I've lived on my own since I was 16 and pretty much have everything we need - but my mum used to save a lot of things for me, pots, pans etc so I'd be ready to live on my own.

[Moon]

That's actually a good idea, maybe we should start a thread on recipes although it's probley been done before. To Silviars question, I am 35 <------ Old lady lol

35??? Why, you're just a pup, lol!! There are a few of us in our (very early) 40's on here

I used to have a hope chest, it really helped me out with my first apartment. I think they're an excellent idea, even if it's just for going away to college.

[noodle]

I have never heard of this before but it sounds like so much fun!!
I'd def do that once I move in with my bf haha

[michy]

That's actually a good idea, maybe we should start a thread on recipes although it's probley been done before. To Silviars question, I am 35 <------ Old lady lol

NOT old!! I'm right behind ya!
That's a great idea, probably more relevant for those just starting out in their own places with their SO... but like you, faith, although I'd lived on my own for 10 years I suddenly found many of my things split down the middle by divorce so there were a lot of items (mostly kitchen-type stuff) for which I needed to fill in the gaps. And while no one or two things were all that expensive, as a whole they really did add up! I sort of did an informal hope chest, and collected a lot of second-hand items when someone I knew was uprading, and got a microwave and pots and pans that way, etc.

Hmm maybe we should start a recipe thread as well...! Then we can all cook for our SOs and impress them when we see them

[Belli]

I do have a hope chest!
MY aunt got the whole thing started when she gave me pots and a pan jokingly for my 18th birthday. I have been collecting items like that since then and got quite a bit together. I have so pretty plates and cups im already excited to get to use them But the big problem I have to figure out how to get everything across the Atlantic :P

[Rach321]

My grandmother gave me a beautiful cedar chest for my high school graduation. It's where I keep my special blankets, quilts, etc. I suppose that would be a hope chest.

I love the idea of gathering recipes as well!

Here is a recipe thread what was brought over from the old site if you want to start adding to it

https://members.lovingfromadistance....hlight=cooking

[CountryGirl]

My grandmother mentioned the idea of a hope chest while we were shopping one day and I looked at her like she was insane. Now after reading through somethings it does seem like a very good idea (: I might shop online to find a big chest/trunk and start filling it so that one day I'll have what I want in there

[Zephii]

I was always taught a "hope chest" was the stuff you collected before having a baby. We called the box of first-home stuff a "glory box". Same difference though

I have a hope chest of the baby kind in storage back home, and luckily I'll get to use it because that's where we'll be having kids, but like Silviar said, moving stuff across the ocean would have been more expensive than buying it here, so we just bought a whack load of stuff when we moved out on our own.
I also have really nice stuff in storage that I'd like to use when we own our first home or get married, or something... but that's way in the future when I can afford to ship it.