Kitchen Update...Decluttering and Shopping?

I received an emphatic email from my second cousin saying I simply must get my own dishes. He recommends I keep 'em about ten years or so, and if you have kids, let them ding them up. Then you move on. I don't have much time to post, but I will say I did eye some dishes this weekend. The were (gasp!) square. Whoa. (I was shopping at Kohl's and didn't realize they sold kitchenware.) And while I don't know how old the inherited dishes are, they are at least 8, if not older. I like rules that give me more permission to spend money. If you're gonna say I need to, then what can I do?