Do you have any outlet stores near your home? Mikassa has dinner-wear sets that you could explore. Also, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Linens & Things & JC Pennys all sell that stuff.

Good luck

Even Target has some nice stuff.

Crate and Barrel- really beautiful stuff with a great selection and very reasonable!

Walmart carries Correlle- its durable if you have little kids- and they have new patterns- different from the crazy daisy of the 70's!
I got a 12 place setting set from JC Pennny for $70- its solid though

Check Tuesday Mornings if you have one near you - they often get closeouts of pretty good stuff for way less than it was originally.

Check out places like Marshalls, TJMaxx and Ross - they too often get discontinued patterns, and if you catch them on the right day you can pick up enough to make a great set.

Target has some rather nice casual dinnerware (I have my eye on one series in case it goes to 75% off after Christmas... ;)

BBB and Linens Etc always have a good selection (although not particularly well priced)

The big outlet malls almost always seen to have a Mikasa or Noritake store.

HTH!

i looked in all those stores except mikassa and c&b, not sure where they are. I'll look for those on-line.

Also, this is the right time of year to check the department stores and china/jewelry stores. They have sets for the holidays.

Or if you're adventurous, you might try second hand stores and garage sales. They often have complete sets of fine china that have hardly been used. A good trip through the dishwasher and they should lose their "someone else's stuff" vibe.

I got really nice (solid, sorry) ones at crate and barrel online in their sale/outlet section a few years ago. It was half the price of what it normally was and I could find nothing wrong with it. As far as I can tell they're still selling the same stuff regular price so I have no clue what the deal was or what it was in teh outlet. It's HEAVY white stoneware and even though my kids abuse it badly it has worn very well. Check the online outlet areas to see if you can snag a deal.

For instance... Barron's has this Pfaltzgraf, 4 settings for $89.95. Sounds like your colors but if that's not your style, look around the site :) (Click the pic.)

{{!gwi}}

Dillard's

Here is a link that might be useful: Dillard's

oooh! I'm loving Dillard's site. We have one close by so hopefully, I can see some of these in person.

Our regular day dishes are called "restaurant ware" and I've been collecting them for some time. They date mostly to the 40's and 50's are are a tan colored ironstone. I have pieces with cowboy pictures, clowns, trucks, burgers, plain, stripes, dots, sheesh everything (they're almost always decorated in red, black, white or brown). They can be used in an emergency to build bomb shelter (they're that tough) and have proven to fall to the floor over 40 times during an average dinner with a 2 year old and not break. Plus they're cool :) And best of all...they're cheap! You have to hunt them on ebay (called tanware or restaurant ware) but they're a great deal of fun, and not the same boring stuff everyone else has!

I had an old white "diner style" setting from Crate and Barrel that was a workhorse. We had it for many, many years. A year or two ago I decided I wanted some color. Went back to C & B and bought a pretty yellow set with navy trim. Big mistake. The set chips if you look at it funny, so now I need to replace it. I miss my old set!

Do you have a Target near you? That's worth a look. You may find that there is more of a selection after the holidays. The Christmas and New Year's stuff is taking up space now.

Good luck!

Take a look at Target.com - they have more stuff than the traditonal store and they carry Corelle too.

I like Home Goods and Pottery Barn has some pretty white dishes if you like white. And red.

Also here's a list of online tableware with a lot of different stuff. I just love to browse some of these. Oh, Crate and Barrel is very good and they have a sale very soon.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tableware list

We really need new dishes. We have 3 partial sets of Corell, and I would like to replace them with one nice set of Corell, but, Corell has a lot of patterns, but still nothing that I absolutely have to have. Pretty much every store I go into, I see a set of dishes that I would love to have, then I turn it over, and see the Made in China, and continue my search.

I used to replace my everyday dishes every few years because of chipping and breaking -- until I bought a set of Dansk at their outlet. If you don't have an outlet mall nearby, try Ebay. I've added to my set at very low cost. Also online, try Overstock and Smart Bargains.

I know you want color. However, if you would consider white, we have 18 place settings of these dishes from Williams-Sonoma. We did a mix of place settings so that we have cups with saucers as well as the wonderful coffee mugs. We also have some of the chili bowls and smaller bowls. Been using them for 2+ years now and nothing has been broken. Six place settings of 4 pieces for $69.99.

Cameron

Here is a link that might be useful: WS dishes

I'll never do Correlle again. It was durable at first but, like a lot of glass, over the years it must have accumulated micro-scratches that made it fragile. After 5 years or so of every day use, pieces would break if you looked at them cross-eyed. Stone wear chips too easily. I much prefer everyday or casual China (aka porcelain).

I have a Mikasa set that has been our every day meat set (we keep kosher so we have meat and milk plate sets) for more than 20 years and we still have the whole set. We had growing children in the house during those years too. In that time our milk set has gone through stone wear and Correlle. Now that is china too.

Mikasa and Studio Nova (which is really the same company - their younger designs) both have casual China sets. I have been able to get boxes with their service for 4 for under $50 at the Mikasa outlet. Unfortunately, they are closing their outlet stores so you will have to look for sales at the stores that carry them now. One downside, they change patterns frequently, so don't pick up one box and expect to expand the set in a few years.

I think other China makers have casual china lines too. Crate and Barrel is a nice source of china too.

Just be careful to check that it is the china and not the stone wear. They can look fairly similar. It usually says on the label on the underside of the plate.

You said you prefer patterns. If you can live with solids, I would also suggest Fiesta wear. Lots of fun colors so you can get variety by mixing and matching instead of by pattern. About $100 would get you started with service for 4 at the Amazon prices and you can expand the set over time.

So, I checked my chipping plates from Crate and Barrel. It says "ironstone" on the back. They wear nothing like iron or stone, unfortunately. :-(

sorry, mine were from pottrybarn. I just checked.

Checkout Fiestaware. They have over 20 different colors you can mix and match and it is very durable and inexpensive. Google it and you will find many websites with free shipping. Merry Christmas!

I just wanted to add to check the bottom of the dishes to make sure they are smooth. Rough edges will scratch surfaces, especially Corian counters. The dishes we have from WS are smooth and have been put away on painted shelves, granite and used on the butcher block island without scratching.

Cameron

Try Kohls or Kohls.com. They tend to pretty reasonable, also. Everything goes on sale at one time or another.

Sue

Old Time Pottery if they have one near you. I purchased some christmas dinnerware from them a few years ago for about 20 bucks for 4 place settings (Gibson's "Songbirds" pattern).. That same dinnerware is selling for $10 per plate now on ebay. Sometimes they have great patterns.

You can usually get a set of dinnerware for 4 for about $20.

Does anyone remember a site posted here called Bryan's China or something like that? It was so long ago that it's no longer on the search. It was very reasonably priced "diner" type dinnerware. I'd love to find it again, if it rings a bell with anyone.

cindylou2006, is this the one you were looking for?

Here is a link that might be useful: Bryan China Company

We purchased our everyday dinner plates at Ross, Marshals and TJ Max for a couple of dollars a piece. None of them match but they are colorful and all have a white center in common. They are very good quality and at the discount stores because they did not make a set. I really do not care for Dish Sets, the cups are always too small and cup saucers are a waist to us for everyday dishes. I have even used them for dinner parties and mixed them with different colored cloth napkins and colorful wine glasses. You can get 12 large quality plates for $36 to $75 depending.

Wow! You guys are truly amazing! I looked in Kohls. they had a set I liked on display, but no boxes in stock. We have thousands of Kohls around, so I'm sure I could find it in one of them.

I also want to go to Dillard's in person and see if they offer some of the sets I saw on line.

Yes, Target used to have such great sets, but recently, I haven't seen too much there.

I went to Frys Market place tonight and saw some in a nice solid color, but they were so heavy and I would have to buy many pieces separately. I'm going to look into some more of the places you have given me.

My former set I had about 7 years with no chipping, that was through 4 moves too. It was Sakura.

We have a restaurant outlet here, I've never been there, but you guys have inspired me to check them out.

I guess China, must come from China right? So , I guess that's why it's hard to find plates not made in China. Suddenly I'm hesitant to buy them too, but I guess I've been eating off of them for many years, so why stop now?

jt- yes, that's the one, thank you!

I started selling for this company a year ago, just to get the dishes I wanted. They have really nice, good quality items. I purchased the Veranda dinnerware- they look white, but are actually more of an off-white.

I agree that Target has some nice dishes, too. Mervyn's might have something-- Costco and Sam's Club always have dinnerware sets.

Here is a link that might be useful: Home and Garden Party

Ditto the Fiestaware - it's practically indestructible. We had a set of cobalt blue for 8 years of HARD use - only broke one salad plate. I packed it up because we moved and blue no longer matched, so we bought white fiestaware. We've had that now for about 2 years and haven't broken a thing. I've got two little kids in the house so that's saying something.

And bob411 - it's made in West Virginia! I took a tour of the factory once - very cool.

http://www.hlchina.com/

Here is a link that might be useful: Homer Laughlin China

Allison0704,
You owe me some serious cash! I found a beautiful set at Dillards. I bought two! I also manage to get a workbag, a cookware set and measuring spoons!

Here is the set I bought from Dillard's.
{{!gwi}}

I like the brown one two, but this store didn't have that one.

It's dangerous when I can't decide because then I just buy both!

It's not a pattern, but there is enough "movement" going on that I won't get bored by eneptly cooked meal.
I wanted to redo my kitchen in red and black initially, but I'm thinking turquoise to add some fun.

I think I want to add a little more color so I also purchased a set of 4 plates that is turqouise and black from Target.

I'm taking both sets home and will play around with them for a little while to see how I like them.

Dillard's had many beautiful sets, it was my first time in Dillards. I'll def. be going back.

Thanks to all for your suggestions!

Here is a link that might be useful: Dillard's

Lkplatow, thanks for the heads up about fiesta ware. We have a Kohls, and a Carsons nearby, so I can check them out.

I went shopping yesterday, got to town around 9 o'clock, and was surprised that it wasn't more crowded, by 11 it was a madhouse, waiting, and waiting at traffic lights, etc. Anyway I went Kohls, Dec. 24 was their last day of 50% off all table top stuff, the last day of my extra 15% off coupon that came in the mail, and the last day that you get $10 of "Kohls cash" for every $50 you spend. They had one place setting of Fiesta in the cobalt, a couple of yellow, and one turquoise. I asked if there was more in back, to make room for all the Christmas stuff, but no that was it. I still manged to spend over $50 on stuff, then fought the traffic to get home and order it online. I did see the jumbo mugs in cobalt, in person, I had a suspicion that those were what DW had bought a few years back, and they were. I didn't see the scarlet in person, but I ordered it anyway, should be here in plenty of time for our anniversary Jan. 12.

Fiesta are great dishes. The scarlet is very bright, true red. I like the solid colors, because you can use a patterned tablecloth or placemat. I also like one placesetting in each of several colors, it is so bright and cheerful looking. If you break a piece, all pieces are available open stock, and very reasonably priced.

I hate my Target plates! We have the turquoise crackle finish/brown bottoms, and they crack if you look at them funny, they get hotter than the food in the microwave, and the cracked bottom glaze feels very rough and unsettling under a fork- like you're about to get a bite of ceramic glaze. Once we break all of these (we've broken 3 pieces in a year with no kids to drop things, and that was with a vinyl floor), we'll go back to Correlle. My parents still have the set I grew up with, and while it's a very cutesy pattern, it's smooth and doesn't break.

A little more than you want to spend, but this is what I will be replacing my beloved corelle with when the time comes. It is not too spendy, not too heavy (really important to me) and fairly durable. I think you can even get the mugs if you would rather have that than the teacups and saucers.

Nice everyday stuff, with a little panache. I have been researching dinnerware for a long time. Isn't it ridiculous to put so much time into dishes :-)

Here is a link that might be useful: dishes I love

I was checking back to see what you had decided - the fine print of my disclaimer must have been too tiny for your eyes! ;)

LOL! Allison.

Cocontom, thanks so much for the heads up on the Target plates. Those sound like the exact ones I purchase. I'll take them back.

Red Lover, I've been looking seriously at Antique White, too. I had their Country French for years and years and have been regretting giving it away to our daughter because I wanted a change. The only thing I wanted to improve on was weight, and there you have...Antique White.