On Fri, 22 Nov 2013 23:47:42 -0500, jmcquown >
wrote:

snip I also started purchasing small kitchen items when I
>was about 18. I knew I wouldn't live at home forever. Steak knives
>were not high on my priority list. A collander, a whisk, some wooden
>spoons...
>
snip
>
>Jill

I started collecting that stuff when I was in 4th grade. I got all my
flatware and dishes (white with a gold rim) that way (passed them on
to daughter). Each week I'd bicycle to my violin teacher's house. A
short distance away was a grocery store. They gave away a piece of
tableware every week, no purchase necessary.
Janet US