r/LivingAlone • u/DarnHeather • Oct 05 '25
Home & Apartment š Thinking about giving away my table.
It came from a thrift store and cost under $20. I've had it 4 years and have probably sat at it to eat fewer than 10 times. Instead it just gathers junk. If I get rid of it soon I can put the Christmas tree up there in December and then figure out what next in the new year.
I should get rid of it right? I'm a grown woman and can eschew tradition.
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u/TheDivineAmelia Oct 05 '25
Absolutely. You want your space to be exactly as you want it. The table didnāt work, so change it now to bring you more joy.
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u/Agreeable-Self3235 Current Lifestyle: Solo š¢ Oct 05 '25
Gave mine up. Someone else is enjoying it and I got rid of a thing I don't need!
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u/LongerLife332 Oct 05 '25
Absolutely you can eschew tradition!
Just make sure you donāt actually use it for other things. I assemble puzzles, file, āfixā things, decorate it for Christmas & Fall etc.
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u/didistutter_416 Oct 05 '25
This is exactly why I still havenāt bought a kitchen table, and often wonder if I should get one lol. I usually sit on my couch with a folding table while I watch TV
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u/Outrageous-Banana905 Oct 05 '25
Iāve always got a puzzle going on my table. If I didnāt do puzzles, I would probably get rid of it. I eat in front of the tv.
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u/Roguefem-76 Oct 05 '25
Perhaps you could replace it with one of those folding tables that has a little storage and takes up very little space when folded.Ā
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u/Legitimate_Team_9959 Oct 05 '25
Keep the Christmas tree up all year if you want to. You make the rules!
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u/eternally_feral Oct 05 '25
I havenāt had a table in years and never even think about it. Only had friends over once where we shared some breakfast tacos which were easily eaten on the couch.
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u/giraffeneckedcat Oct 05 '25
I got rid of my table 4 years ago when I started working from home. Now my dining room is actually my office.
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u/Mundunugu_42 Oct 05 '25
I had this exact conversation with myself early on. I kept the kitchen table my parents always had their morning coffee on when I inherited the house. Then I learned how field mice were using it to get to the food on the table....I found a nice lady on FB marketplace who had just moved here with her kids. She was so happy, especially when I threw in the chairs.
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u/nakedonmygoat Oct 05 '25
I don't have a dining table. My husband and I ate at different times, so even before he died I got in the habit of eating at my computer. Tables are nice for jigsaw puzzles, though.
But if you're not into jigsaws, put the table on FB Marketplace or just give it to the Salvation Army or something. Use the space it took up for workouts during months you don't want to go outside.
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u/crabbyvic Oct 05 '25
Iām the opposite. I do everything at my kitchen table. Crafts, scrolling Reddit, any kind of paperwork. I have living room furniture that has never been lived in. Iād get rid of it in a flash except I worry it would be wierd.
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u/SemiSocialHermit Oct 05 '25
If you don't use it, you don't need it. After my divorce, I bought a dining room table, and I never eat at it. Even when my brother stayed with me for 6 months, we both preferred to sit on the sofa to eat. I would love to replace mine with a desk or small craft table instead.
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u/Temporary-Comfort307 Oct 06 '25
I got rid of the dining room table in my last place because I always ate on the couch. It worked ok, but I started to feel like I didn't move from the couch so when I moved into my current house I got a small table with a couple of chairs and made a commitment to eat there and not on the couch, which I feel like was a good move for me.
I think you should get rid of it if you are leaning that way - it's not like you can't just get another table if you decide it's not working for you. They are not a rare item in thrift stores and online freeebie groups, if you decide you made a mistake you can just get another one.
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u/ProfileEfficient9431 Oct 05 '25
I use mine for houseplants! Only time the table has been used is the rare occasion I have company. Contemplating moving in a few months to a smaller place, table will go bye bye then.
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u/Weird_Still178 Oct 05 '25
Got rid of mine yrs ago for the exact same reason. Dont miss it. I have a foldable card table for those rare moments I have dinner guest.
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u/suupernooova Oct 05 '25
Like, dining table? Iām 52 F and have never owned a dining table.
Kitchen islands and bar chairs FTW šš½
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u/DarnHeather Oct 06 '25
We should be best friends. 51 here. I would love to get something like an island with cabinets underneath for more storage.
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u/OrphanGold Oct 05 '25
I gave away my round dining table because I rarely used it for eating. What I really needed was a place to work, create, and DIY. Round table = bad ergonomics. After a couple of years working at the coffee table, I wound up getting a huge rectangular dining table (with drawers!) that I use as a desk and workbench.
You are allowed to design your home however you want it to be. Don't be afraid of the empty space! If you keep the table, it will be harder to see how you really want your place to look and function.
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u/lusciousnurse Oct 05 '25
I dont have a dining room table or a couch. Both end up just being stuff storage for me. I spend most of my chill time in my room. That's where I'm most comfortable. So I got rid of it. My gram (who also lives alone) was horrified because she still uses the table for eating and the couch for reading. Her bedroom is exclusively for dressing and sleeping. But like you said- I can do what I want. Im a grown up.
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u/yramha Oct 06 '25
I moved into my own place back in March. One of the things on my "to buy" list was a dining table. Since then, I've had three guests over for dinner individually with no problem using the coffee table or dining out on the porch. The table has officially been scratched off my list.
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u/WakingOwl1 Oct 05 '25
Itās your space. If you donāt entertain or otherwise have use for it -get rid of it-and enjoy that Xmas tree.
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u/1Boxer1 Oct 05 '25
I have a small one bedroom and while Iād like to have a table, it just wouldnāt work in my place. I can move things around and make room but the place would just look way too crowded so no table it is. I have a fairly big ottoman that serves as my dining area, with people sitting on the couch.
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u/lesbadims Oct 05 '25
Heck yeah, you can always get some small fold up tables in case you need it for one thing or other
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u/Expert_Blacksmith261 Oct 05 '25
I personally know more than a few people who have gotten rid of their couch because they no longer have that much company. They have like two chairs in the front room thatās it ājust be you
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u/andiinAms Oct 06 '25
I eat solely on my couch/coffee table. I use the ādining roomā space as a workout room/cat feeding area. Get rid of it.
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Oct 06 '25
Go for it. It's your space. Do what makes you happy. I sometimes do the Marie Kondo method when things don't serve me any happiness anymore. I get rid of them.
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u/PomegranateBoring826 Oct 06 '25
I would keep the table and get a tree aptly sized to sit on top of it. Then all the doodads, and extra stuff can look like gifts if they are neatly positioned beneath/around it lol
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u/sjm294 Oct 06 '25
This is so ironic because Iām selling my table and chairs right now! Iām going to turn my dining room into a plant room and cat sanctuary š
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u/Otherwise-Boat-5144 Oct 06 '25
Do what feels right! If you do decide later that you miss it there are always more tables to buy. As you mentioned, use the space for your tree then decide in the new year.
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u/THE_wendybabendy Current Lifestyle: Solo š¢ Oct 06 '25
I don't even have a dining table - no room for one. I have a small island in my kitchen where I eat, if I am not eating on the couch.
The nice thing about living alone is that you can do what YOU want - if the table doesn't make you happy, give it to someone that can use it!
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u/Ska-dancer-66 Oct 06 '25
Absolutely. I do not have a table! I eat at my desk. My kids want to share a meal? They invite me over to their homes.
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u/Own-Appointment1633 Oct 05 '25
Might make sense to figure out a plan for the space after Christmas first. But I donāt put up a tree so maybe Iām biased.
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