“Pretty Dishes” or Convenience: Stocking The Camper

Recently I was out of town on a business trip and found myself needing to stretch my legs. I chose a local box store to roam around in and found a display of summer tableware.  I love the patterns, the bold colors, and the fact that they are all plastic. Which makes them perfect for the camper.

Stocking the inside of your camper is a necessity. How you approach this task is personal preference. I feel as if I have been on a developmental process for the past six years trying to figure out the best way to stock our camper.

For our first two campers I found myself raiding my home for items to reallocate to our camper. Bath towels with holes in them no longer acceptable for inside the house, went to the camper. Unsightly pots and pans I had wanted to replace forever went to the camper. No need for sheets or blankets, we had sleeping bags. I raided relative’s homes or scoured garage sales for things I did not have but needed.  My philosophy was we were camping and there was no need for anything nice. Camping was about roughing it, right?

Over the years our campers have changed as well as my philosophy on stocking the inside of the camper. While we upgraded from sleeping bags to old bedding, it was still old bedding. We still used old pots and pans but I did splurge and purchased some of those pretty seasonal plates, bowls, flatware, and glasses. I even added a few decorative pieces used for entertaining.

The new camper, purchased in July 2015, brought me the extra space I lacked in our pop-up camper. Space I used to add a few things my ever changing philosophy decided I needed. I found myself stocking the camper with the same comforts I have at home; nice sheets, fluffy absorbent towels, firm pillows, new pots and pans, and yes we still have those pretty dishes. However, I never use the pretty dishes or the pretty flatware, or even the pretty glasses.

I have found that using the pretty dishes requires that I have to do dishes after each meal. On many levels that resonates with me: it is aesthetically pleasing, it is also fiscally as well as environmentally responsible. But, I am a complex creature and sometimes I just don’t want to listen to those parts of me. I can be a sucker for convenience. I have found that we than often skip over pretty plates and flatware for plastic silverware and paper plates. I think I have morphed into my own version of a hybrid camper; some luxuries of home and some conveniences of life in the fast lane.

As I stood in the aisle of the box store, staring at all the pretty plastic dishes this is what I find myself contemplating. It is obvious how perfect they are for a camper and I wonder if I should add to my collection. However, I can’t justify more pretty dishes when I hardly use the ones I already have.

So, I walk away from the box store empty handed but wondering, how many of you use pretty dishes ? Or do you use disposable products because of the convenience?  My inquiring mind would like to know. What do you do? Here is a little poll:

Pamela