Sounds lovely but plain white does show dirt. If you don't care, or, if you are a take-off-the-shoes family (or somebody with regular housekeeping) , then it doesn't have to be a big deal. Be careful to use a somewhat darker grout, because the grout gets dirty in the high-traffic areas but not in low-traffic areas so you will notice the difference.

I think it depends on where you live. It would be very dated in the northeast. Seems like anyone I know that bought a house with tile of any sort in anything other than a bath or mudroom ripped it out moments after they got the keys to the house. If you can't afford hardwood how about Pergo? Or wood look tiles? They have some great new ones that would compliment the wood in other parts of the home.

Personally I wouldn't put white tiles in. If you are any kind of a neat freak they will drive you crazy. You see every little crumb on them so you''ll be dragging the broom out of the cupboard to sweep all the time.

Unless you are absolutely married to the idea of having white tile, I would look for other options. All of the areas where you are planning to put the tile are high traffic areas. So keeping them looking clean is going to be a constant battle. The grout can also be extremely difficult to keep clean. Be honest with yourself about how much time you want to spend cleaning versus simply enjoying your home.