Depending on your aesthetic, you might find a restaurant supply store has some good, inexpensive pieces, though likely plain white will be the only option.

Some restaurant supply stores even sell like-new items at hugely reduced prices (since restaurants go out of business often, someone needs to re-sell all their stuff).

I've had a bunch of luck at thrift stores. In fact, I found and entire fine china set of 8 for $50! So, check there. I always love a mixed and matched look anyway!

Ikea! they're not super fancy but because they are so cheap you could buy some nicer chargers or salad plates to pair with the set to make them look original

I remember places like Bed Bath and Beyond doing big packs of dishes, flatwear and glasses for really low prices. Craigslist for sure. I bought a Noritake china set for 8 with serving pieces for $50.00 once, and it is in perfect shape.

Keep your eyes on the sales fliers. At this time of year lots of people are in your situation and the big box stores are catering to your needs.

I'd go for something tasteful and BASIC. Remember you can always change up your table for the holidays with festive linens and decorations for cheap. The fabric store is your friend. But you don't want an overly specific set of dishes. Owning multiple sets -- unless you're in your forever home, it's huge and you're wealthy -- will end up being a pain in the tush.

Check out Homegoods, TJ Maxx, and Marshalls for silverware, placemats, and runners. I recommend Ikea and Crate and Barrel outlet for beautiful affordable plates and glassware. My advice is to keep it simple. Avoid buying too many things you don't need. Remember that the food will do most of the color and flavor. Buy a few vases and fill it up with flowers. Have fun and enjoy the moment.

Ditto on the thrift stores. Also, dollar stores. I've seen clear glass and solid white at very low prices at these places. You'll probably do better if you don't try to get everything at the same place.

Ikea or restaurant supply stores.

Bed, Bath and Beyond has some plain white dishes that are $20-$25 for a set of 4 dinner plates. Oneida® Chef's Table is the brand. They have both square and round available.
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=124851&RN=780&

I bought a boxed set of 12 white plates from World Market for about $20 around the holidays last year, but I don't see them on the website. You might have to go to a store.

Also, Marshalls/TJMaxx are great places to find serving dishes. I don't think that I have ever paid more than $15 for a piece. I have found some great Italian serving bowls and platters. Some are basic white and I have bought more colorful ones for different occastions/holidays. You need to dig through the piles and avoid ones with chips.

If you stick with basics for the dinnerware, you can add just a few festive pieces (or table linens, decor, etc) without spending a ton of money.

Crate and Barrel has some classic dinnerware and drinkware that they sell in sets - more affordable than you might realize.

I have Corelle for my dinnerware - I picked a basic beige color for my everyday dishes, but they also have a "designer" line that's a little fancier, but still super affordable and durable.

World Market and Pier 1 also carry some nice options that won't break the bank.

Unless you have a frequent need to host dinner parties, I'd recommend investing in dishes that can also be used every day (unless you have unlimited storage space).

Third, or fourth, on THRIFT STORES! Mix and match everything white you can find. Loads of stuff for 25 and 50 cents each. Have fun!

Don't worry about getting plates/servingware that looks festive. Just get neutral plates so you can use them all year & for all holidays, and add the festive feel through table settings-like a table cloth, centerpieces, etc. They don't have to be expensive to look great. AT/Kitchn probably have ideas for these things, as well as magazine websites like BHG, Country Living and Martha Stewart's site.

I agree with some of the posts on here - get neutral dishes and spruce things up with a colorful tablecloth and flowers/candles/decor. And remember, at the end of the day, people are happy just to be around you for the holidays, so enjoy yourself!

Diitto on dollar stores, Walmart, KMart, Kohls, Sears, JC Penny...you think back to a time when Blue Light specials meant "huskey" Wrangler brand jeans and no-name fake Adidas gym shoes...but no longer! Even Sarah Richardson on her HGTV television show bought beautiful sets of dinnerware at Sears for her personal home in the country and they looked divine/super high-end chic!

Pottery barn's caterer's sets! For $88+tax, you get a set of twelve dinner plates and salad plates, and they look great. With the rest, you might get some great serving dishes. Have fun!

I started out with a Corelle white swirl set and even though I have bought other dishes since, I keep the Corelle as the "good" set. I have bought more over time and now have service for 16. They are lightweight and sturdy and serving pieces can be added on when on sale (or more money becomes available). Also I don't cringe if one breaks. Festive tablecloths and napkins can always be added.

Go for a really nice basic white dinner plate from Ikea or similar, ditto the silverware, and get serving pieces (and mismatched salad and dessert plates) from thrift stores and places like TJ Maxx ... dont forget dinner napkins! Dish towels (the flour-bag kind, not the terry kind) are great for that. Make sure you get 100 percent natural fibers -- the others don't absorb or wipe your hands off well... they kind of smear. Make the table festive with candles and flowers and branches and pine cones etc that you pick up outside...
pam h
howtorunyourlife.blogspot.com

I think it is cool to do plain white plates (which you can find at Ikea, Walmart, or restaurant supply stores) but then pick up salad plates or bowls from a thrift store. By mixing the different smaller plates with the larger white ones, you can give your table some personality and color. Also, garage sales and flea markets are a great place to find stuff. I found an entire set of NICE flatware for $5 at a garage sale.

If you don't have the time or patiente to look out for 2nd-hand dinnerware, I'd recommend to have a close look at Ikea 365+. It offers all kinds of pieces, but they also offer dinnerware package (6 people) for just 25 bucks. And it is very basic, so you can dress it up, down or mix with everything else you fall in love with or already own.

It's hard to answer this without knowing how many place settings you need in total, and it seems like a lot of people are assuming that you are including table linens and flatware in your price range...

Your post gives me the impression that you want to spend no more that $150 on just china, though, so I won't try to factor in the rest of the stuff. But let's say you want 12 place settings:

Here's a full service set for 6 at only $60. Which would put you at around $120 (depending on your local tax rate, maybe $135 after tax... ). This set includes a platter and a bowl, which at least will get you started on service pieces (the downside is that they do not sell their service pieces separately, but whiteware is fairly easy to match to other brands.) So you'd have about $15 to spend on another bowl... and will probably have a lot of pieces you won't use...

http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=318779&CategoryID=30818&LinkType=PDPZ1

I used to work as a bridal registry consultant, and I will tell you that I NEVER would have recommended these to someone because you are really getting what you pay for.... But it's a good deal if you need a lot of dishes on a tight budget.

If you only really need dinner plates for your holiday service, and don't need too many, I would recommend getting as many as you need of Hotel Collection's bone china whiteware:

http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=397141&CategoryID=30856#fn=BRAND%3DHotel%20Collection%26sp%3D1%26spc%3D2

Bone china is really strong and will last a lot longer than stoneware or really cheap porcelain. And because whiteware is so versatile, you can dress it up with coordinating patterns eventually.

Keep in mind, too, that Macy's will give you an extra 20% off on the first day you open a new credit account, so it makes sense to try to get them on a day when you get a new card and they are also having a %15 use your card discount (because then you get both discounts). Not to advertise for them, or anything, since I don't work there anymore, but a good deal is a good deal if you can make it work. So I think you could end up getting 12 dinner plates for about $115 after the additional discounts. Then you'd have to figure service pieces, but you can probably find some festive pieces at a thrift store or a clearance sale. There are a lot of vintage dealers on Etsy who have really good pricing, too, so it's worth a shot to check there for some unique service pieces.

I am in the same boat as you, but I planning to do buffet style service and make my family of 14 eat out of my cookware. Because I'm extremely classy. ;)

I think if you visited a few thrift stores, you could easily put together a charmingly mismatched collection of pieces where the colors work together. With the right table linens (those I often get from the Crate and Barrel Outlet for next to nothing) and some cute flowers and candles, you'll have an adorable look.

I would stay away from getting kitcshy seasonal dinnerware unless you have lots of storage place and expendable income. Go with basic white dinnerware and just buy the pieces you need. If you don't need soup bowls or coffee mugs for your meal then don't buy them. Buy something later that you will love. Then mix it all up with some pretty napkins and maybe some unique serving pieces.

All great ideas above!
I'd add to check out an outlet store, such as Mikasa, if you have any of those within driving distance. I have the italian countryside set, and love it. :)
Wishing you a wonderful dinner!

Lots of options under your price range at Craigslist.org and Thrift Stores. Our local thrift store has HALF PRICE Tuesdays. Always a couple of good china/dinnerware options for 25 cents per piece. Can also grab some gorgeous vases and other accessories. Good luck and remember the candles or fresh flowers.

We have multiple sets of World Market's Buffet dishes. Someone else mentioned them already, 12 plates for $20, which are only available in the store. They're cheaper than Ikea even.

World Market also has great serving dishes.

So many good suggestions! I'd buy a good, basic set of something -- you might want to choose an unusual color, like cobalt blue or pale yellow. And just like finding a great party dress at Target or the thrift store, spend your leftover money on a few gorgeous accessories. Buy a beautiful cake platter. Get brightly colored cloth napkins. A few fresh flowers and place cards are also inexpensive ways to make a table gorgeous.

I'd second the restaurant supply...not as exciting as Ikea, but way more durable. Glassware won't get cloudy in a year, finish won't start to wear off plates. And it can get pretty cheap. Otherwise, I'd check fishseddy.com. Pretty cheap, and their solid collection comes in a bunch of colors. Good luck with hosting!

I'm gonna second the thrift store suggestion. Or TJMaxx/Homegoods/etc. Or Craigslist. I've seen plenty of "Holiday" stoneware on Craigslist.

Get creative.

Target is great if you're looking for simple, white sets for cheap (I've had this set for over six months, and not a single chip or problem).

I love Ikea's Dragon for silverware, and Ikea has very good prices on both water and wine glasses.

A lot depends on whether you are someone who will use these a lot for entertaining, or if this is a one-time deal. (You can RENT dishes for one time events.) It also depends on whether you are someone who gets into the whole "high quality" issue, or if, like me, having "good enough" works just as well.

(I would never "waste" my money getting expensive name-brand bone porcelain -- it just doesn't mean anything to me.)

There are several Dollar Tree stores near me. Yesterday I got four turquoise silk (or silk-look, not certain) placemats for a buck each. I have purchased white china plates with a metallic band. (Frankly, I can't remember if it was silver or gold colored, I use them on holidays. I only got two, one for me and one for my partner, so storage isn't a big deal.) They often have unexpectedly nice basic things, and you certainly can't beat the price!

One other thing is flea markets. Like thrift stores, you can get things really cheap if you know how to shop.

Is it at all possible to borrow from others? You don't even need a single set but could do every other place setting for example. Guests could even decorate the table as they walk in and might well think it was fun to do. If you borrowed dishes and flatware this year you could get some nice serving dishes. Then add to it later with dishes or silverware etc.