Aw, I grew up with Friendly Village as our everyday china. It does make a very pretty Thanksgiving table, but can look a little out of place in the summer!

I'm not sure a restaurant supply house would have lower prices than the cheapest on this list, although you might get a more durable product.

Have a byop party......... ; ) You can't go wrong with all white dinnerware, enough dinner, desert plates and bowls for at least 8 of you and your friends. You can find colorful and assorted sized serving, 'chip' bowls to spice it up if you like..to have on hand. All of this can be found VERY inexpensively at IKEA , if nearby. Otherwise even a Walmart/Kmart. But yes, the best quality and sturdy for your money would be a restaurant supply shop..again, if nearby...White always looks classic and nice.

thrift stores often have wonderful dishes, glassware. You can mix/match and have interesting place settings that are far more appealing than hospital white. No where does it say dinnerware should be a "set".

big party found me at BigLots last minute looking for any style plates for use that night and for future parties. found plain white. Liked them so much they became our everyday ware, and the original dishes we had are now our extra party dishes.

Another thought: see if there's a party rental place nearby where you can rent glassware, dinnerware, etc. for pretty cheap. My old roommate and I used to do this for parties and it was great -- way cheaper than buying an extra couple-dozen wine glasses or whatever, and then we didn't have to store them for the other 51 weeks of the year, and could rent just the specific kind of glassware we needed for a particular party (sometimes wine glasses, other times martini glasses, etc.). Didn't even have to wash them, just rinse and put back in the crates.

Dollar stores (the real ones, like Dollar Tree) often have dishes for... you guessed it, $1 a piece.

I also got my dishes at a Crate & Barrel Outlet for a very reasonable price, and I didn't have to buy them in a "set" which always comes with a useless coffee cup/saucer.

Don't forget you can rent everything you need from a party rental store! Cheap and you can really design your table! Also, check out thrift stores you can find really great deals!

What about Corel? I work at one of their retail shops (world kitchen) and we price match sets sold at Walmart, Target, ect but usually our sale prices are even better. Exta bonus: if there isn't a shop near you (US and Canada) iyou can call one of the shops to make an order they ship for free (within your country).

I love my Corel Winter Frost White. I have 4 sets of fine china and I prefer my Corel to any of them. I can use them at any time for any occasion and I can store 20 dinner plates in about 6" (tall) and the same for luncheon (10" plates). I have so many pieces that I never, ever, ever use plastic or paper. I also have lots of accessories that are not the same white, but they look good together. I'd vote for Corel every time.

Another vote for Corelle Winter Frost White! I grew up with Corelle, and I can't imagine living without it. They are so light and durable, and they take up so little space. I break out the fine china for extra fancy dinner parties, but for casual get-togethers and everyday use, Corelle can't be beat.

I bought a set of gold-butterfly and flower Corelle 40 years ago for $19.95. My ex still uses them and they look as good as new. And they are selling in thrift shops for the same price now! Does a set of Corelle ever lose value! LOL!