Please dont use paper plates. Thats terrible, and everyone knows better in 2021.

We have a cheap every day white set that we got when we got married.

i have a lamoge full set of 12 that I inherited when I was 20. It doesnt get used often for entertaining, but its actually pretty contemporary looking (gold edging - looks like something you might buy at west elm today even though its from 1933), plus there are a couple specific sizes that we love (the soup bowls are unusual shapes and get used often, for instance).

we also have a random set of 6 italian plates, three sizes each, that friends got us when we married, and they are unusual shape and get used a couple times a month for specific meals.

we also have 8 square white dinner and salad plates that we decided to buy for cheap before we got married because they were trendy and not $$, but we have out those away for now.

we used to entertain and use a lot of this stuff, but moved five years ago and now the social life is pretty dull and the plates dont get used much anymore…..

I think the everyday things you use should be beautiful and something that brings joy. Unless you love them, get rid of them and get what you do like.

The idea of use something up until there is no use left in it is still good, but make sure that something is what you enjoy using and looking at! If you are tired of it, sell it, swap it, donate whatever and get what does make you smile. Let someone else get the rest of the utility out of the dishes!

We rarely use our fine china anymore. we have 12 place settings of simple white china from Crate & Barrell (“Pearl pattern ?) that we use for everyday & entertaining. Food looks good on it & they look good on the table. Same for our sterling flatware, rarely use it, gave an extra set that we inheirited to a good friend.

Thirty years ago I bought 50 glass salad size plates at Wal Mart to use for parties.

My grandmother gave me maybe 25 glass salad plates -- the good, thick ones -- but I just never loved them. Fortunately, my daughter wanted them, so they're still being used.

And if it gets broken, there is always Replacements!

Replacements.com is so expensive (though if you're close enough, do visit their store sometime -- it's an experience). I'd recommend ebay instead; whatever you want will eventually pop up.

Please dont use paper plates. Thats terrible, and everyone knows better in 2021.

Paper plates aren't so awful, especially when you consider that washing dishes isn't "economically free" -- washing requires water, which isn't an unlimited resource, especially in some areas, and the soap can be an issue too. What's really awful is styrofoam -- and most of it comes into our homes piece-by-piece from fast food restaurants.

Let someone else get the rest of the utility out of the dishes!

Yes, and on the other side of that discussion, if you're looking for tableware, check out what's available at Goodwill, etc. Lots of good stuff is waiting on their shelves.

My DH kids that I could open a catering business with the number of dishes I have.

Everyday - service for 12 is Villeroy & Boch Switch 3 pattern.

For large groups - C&B Aspen. 36 dinner plates, 24 salad plates, 12 soup bowls. My Mom always said white dishes were best for entertaining as they went with any table setting. She was right.

Christmas - 12 dinner plates and assorted serving pieces of Macy’s pattern similar to Spode.

Fine China - I have my grandmother’s Limoges china - service for 12 with more serving pieces than can fit in the hutch I bought when they were passed down to me.

For cocktail parties I have 36 white appetizer plates in 3 different shapes. Those get used alot. Also have dessert plates for various holidays.

Should we talk wine glasses?

Sets of dishes? Does that include special holiday dishes like Christmas and Halloween? LOL!

I never EVER use corelle or Melmac or heaven forbid paper or styrofoam! I have saved hundreds of $$ over the years by having stacks of white plates bought for about $1 each....and they are Haviland, fine china. And they mix well with the Gold rimmed Hutchenruther and the Mason's Vista and the flower sprigged haviland.

I love dishes!!!

      My everyday dishes are a lemon pattern from the Dollar Tree. And a set of a floral pattern from Walmart that's cheap and cheerful. Things I don't mind breaking if someone has an accident. 
   My fine china is the Royal Albert collection. 
   I also have some nice white dishes, and a set of hand painted Portuguese dishes.
   Sometimes, I use the nice dishes just because I want to eat favorite foods on pretty plates. 
   I don't like everything matching perfectly, but I like to have things that go together.

We have multiple sets of dishes. Some I inherited. We use my 30 year old Noritake dinnerware for everyday, it still looks really good. We my grandma’s Franciscanware at our desert place. For entertaining I often use my formal china, Noritake Barrymore. This is used for most holidays and some family dinners. For Christmas we use Spode Christmas Tree that my mom bought me early in my marriage.

My daughter is getting married at our home in two weeks, the wedding will be followed by a dinner reception. We will be using my china, along with my mom’s coordinating china Lenox Tuxedo. Thankfully we have enough between the two sets.

My entertainment dishes become my every day dishes when I decluttered. I liked my fancy dishes much more and figured why not be happy looking at them at every meal than only on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

"Please dont use paper plates. Thats terrible, and everyone knows better in 2021." Not everyone can afford unlimited place settings. Those who can afford to will have to offset those who can't. Rent, medicines, and bills often 'eat' first.

I have too many sets of dishes. I recently started using my Heath Ceramics (collected from their seconds and thirds table at the Sausalito store over several decades) as my everyday dinnerware. I gave my vast collection of Fiestaware to my DD and another less colorful everyday set to my DS and DIL. I have my wedding china, Herend Blue Garland, which I’ve used perhaps twice in 35 years; its still beautiful to me, though. I have a set of Limoges that belonged to my mom that I’ve used when my sisters are over for special dinners where we all cook from our mother’s recipes. I have some deep blue and gold rimmed porcelain plates that belonged to my grandmother, never used, but they could theoretically be used as chargers under the Blue Garland should the need arise:)

"Not everyone can afford unlimited place settings. Those who can afford to will have to offset those who can't. Rent, medicines, and bills often 'eat' first."

No one is suggesting you _have _ to have unlimited place settings. But Ikea plates sell for peanuts, and charity shops sell them for even less. In the long run it costs to keep buying paper plates, not to mention the damage it does to the environment.

I say why not use the special plates? I've been enjoying bringing out things I've set aside and using them. It feels a bit refreshing.

We don't entertain either. That always happens at my mom's house nearby and she has her special occasion dishes in cupboards in her living room, so they come out for special occasions - but we haven't had any in quite awhile, of course. She has maybe 3 other sets of white dishes, and a set of light green ones for daily use. my kitchen is tiny and so is our house, so I really have nowhere to put fine china. My everyday dishes are a collection of vintage MCM that I mix and match. Some are sets of 4.

I compost paper plates.

My sister has plain white Corelle for everyday use and I like it a lot - it's so attractive, durable and lightweight.

I rarely use paper plates as I have lots of dishes but I don't think it's wrong if somebody wants to use them although it's not my preference. Recently over the past year I've been camping in a friend's camper and I have come to appreciate a paper plate. And even then, there's many different quality levels.

"In the long run it costs to keep buying paper plates, not to mention the damage it does to the environment." 

Ikea plates do not sell for peanuts (2.49/ea is the cheapest). 

Understanding is better than stubbornness based on unwritten standards. 

Using the internet, to share your opinion, is harmful to the environment. All the resources used to make these place settings is harmful to the environment. Washing plates is harmful to the environment.  Everybody has to pick their level of engagement: for some it's financial affordability, for some it's ease of living, and for some it's a moral standard of behavior.

Well, apart from being very late to this thread, I'm another one who has got rid of the "good" stuff and just use every day - which is perfectly nice. I have some beautiful Venetian glasses that come out for Christmas and birthdays, though. I love those and wouldn't get rid of them.

I have mismatched polish pottery dishes for every day. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we use the Lennox Christmas dishes. As someone said, if you have it, why not use it i do put it in the dishwasher. After 40 years or so, some of patterns are fading. Replacing those few pieces as they fade is easy.

Some earlier said Correlle doesn’t break when dropped. I disagree. when Correlle hits tile flloor, it shatters into a million sharp shards that scatter everywhere

I have a set of plates I use for entertaining.  I've had them for years, but they don't see much action these days.  Regular dishes are a bit of a mix - inexpensive blue willow pattern china, pottery pasta bowls, mugs from everywhere, and coffee cups picked up at a thrift shop.  Got a nice serving bowl at a thrift shop too.

I don't understand the comment about people not being able to afford unlimited place settings.  Paper plates are fine for the occasional mass gathering at a BBQ, but if you can afford to seat 8 people for dinner, you can afford to blow $20 on thrift shop plates.

There is also the element that younger generations do not want the baby boomers china, that they collected for years and find precious. In many cases, it's worthless. I imagine if someone needed china and was NOT particular, some kind person would give them a set knowing it was going to be used, rather than donate to goodwill, etc

I have a set of Pfaltzgraff that I am trying to figure out where to put it my kitchen in the house I just bought. Maybe in that cabinet that is practically unusable because I can’t reach it? So it is more than just cost, you have to put those second sets somewhere.

“$2.49 is the cheapest” IKEA lists the OFTAST dishes at 79¢ each. And they have small sets for even less per. Target and Walmart also have similar. Even cheaper would be a thrift or goodwill, but you would have to luck to find a matching set

I have an appreciation for the beauty of much fine china, but I really don't care for the way food looks on most of it. I think the fancy china sets a beautiful table, but I don't want to eat off of it. I try very hard to serve food that is beautiful and I prefer it on plain white dishes. My wedding china was used until not much remained and I replaced it with plain white plates, bowls and salad plates from Room and Board. My circle of friends and relatives is not 'fancy' though they appreciate nice things. I don't think any of them have 'good' dishes that they use, even for holidays. I'm the same.
Just the sound of Corelle sets my teeth on edge. And no plastic or paper, ever.

" And no plastic or paper, ever."

I'm okay with paper when it's the neighborhood BBQ, but that's about it.

Yes, I've eaten off paper at picnics and at other homes/parties, but I don't use it in my own home (but I don't host a neighborhood BBQ)!

I have an ever growing set of Fiesta Ware, all of which has been purchased used from various sources. I also have Christmas themed dishes and four plates for Easter from Pottery Barn that have rabbits on them, the kids love to use those. I have lots of serving dishes, from Pyrex to cut glass, a platter with a turkey on it, Christmas themed cookie platters. I also have various pieces of things that I just think are pretty, like some peach luster and a few pieces of jadeite.

I have no matching "fancy" china, but I do have a set of white Pfaltzgraf that Elery bought at the local Menards for about $40. It's in the garage because I just use the Fiesta Ware for everything.

I don't like plastic or melamine because if I put hot food on them I can taste the off flavor from the plastic, and I dislike that. I never use paper plates because I have lots of FiestaWare and can wash them. If they get broken, I can buy any color, they are all mix and match, LOL. Plus paper plates are flimsy. I did use disposable plates when I still had Christmas parties for 40+, but I don't do that any more since Dad died.

As for my kids, Amanda would like just the purple Fiesta Ware and some of the Pyrex. Ashley could care less.

The only thing I really need is more spoons, I don't know what happens to those.

Annie

I use Corelle for everyday and company. They are plain, white, light weight, and very hard to break.  Dropped one on the wood floor the other day and nothing happened to it. They take up less room in the dishwasher too. I use fine China to make broken plate mosaics.

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We have our wedding china, which is a simple and entirely white pattern (Wedgewood ”Candlelight”) that SWMBO chose because it would go with anything. 8 or 10 settings. I broke four of the dishes in one clumsy moment, but replaced them on eBay.

Two older friends gave SWMBO their wedding china sets because their kids didn’t want it. Charlotte’s set has fancy gold plate edging and I think of her when we use it, which is mostly at holidays.

SWMBO made a set of thrown and carved plates, which we sometimes use - but typically as serving dishes.

For everyday use we have some pottery glaze experiments and a random assortment of dishes from Ikea and unknown sources.

Since Covid, a few pieces of the nice china has been used - twice, I think. By this point all our friends are vaccinated and I have enough HEPA air cleaners to make the dining room into a biosafety clean room, so we could have parties again, but we’ve fallen out of the habit. I hope we get back into it, Charlotte would like that. But until the kitchen is more presentable, we might defer.

John still-HU’ing Liu

I have everyday dishes (set of 12 plain white china, set of 12 with a funky floral-ish pattern).

For most of our casual entertaining I have a set of about 18 Fiesta Ware.

For holiday entertaining I decided many years ago to purchase 16 place settings of the Lenox ”Holiday” fine china. We use this at Thanksgiving & Christmas set on Mikasa (I think) gold chargers, with what I call ”plate gifts” on top of each place…just a pretty little beautifully wrapped (fun, inexpensive) present (to coordinate with the china) for each person to open after we say grace and prior to me removing the chargers.

I told the kids (3 boys) that (for us) Thanksgiving marked the start of the Christmas season…which explained why the table was set in that fashion (I really just wanted to use the fine china more than once a year!).

My wedding china was some God awful baby blue floral rimmed in silver that I fell in love with during the gift registration process…when I was 19. Ah, youth! I think I only received about 4 place settings or something - thank goodness!

Anyway, the boys and their wives are all very excited to inherit the Holiday and the Fiesta Ware as there are so many memories tied to each.

It’s our tradition that any males in attendance (probably sexist, but I don’t care 😉) have to clear and clean the kitchen after Christmas & Thanksgiving, so the boys have known for years that they have to instruct everyone to handwash the Lenox. It still looks great after at least 35 years.

If you want new everyday (or fancy) china, just buy what you like and what will make you happy. Believe me; life’s too short.

I have 6 sets of dishes. The first picture displays the Russel Wright Gray midcentury dish that my Mom received as an engagement present; the second is Blue Ridge hand painted dish that my grandparents sold in their hardware store in the 1940’s. The second picture displays the Macys Company Holly dish that my daughter in law gave me; the second is the Alfred Meakin England Medway dish that were my grandmothers (these Medway dishes were showcased in the series “Outlander”). The third picture displays the Mikassa Ciara and the second is the Mikassa Ellis; these white dishes are the main ones I use. The others I use on occasion. I love having different sets of dishes to use. Variety is the spice of life!

@kculbers - Those are lovely. What a great assortment! And full sets? …so envious!

In answer to the question. no. I do not entertain other people, so no special dishes set aside for that.

However......

I do like to entertain myself, and therefore I have different dishes for different times of the year. For example, I have my Halloween plates in use now. I have 3 heavy stoneware dinner plates covered in jack-o-lanterns. I also have a set of 4 with just leaves and regular pumpkins on them. I will use those through November, though the jack-o-lantern ones will only be used until Halloween. Pumpkin bowls with the cute little lids are used through November too. I have both orange and black ones. And then there is my dutch oven, Duncan the Punkin, only used in the fall.

I have 5 sets of Christmas dinner plates, 3 sets of Christmas dessert plates, 1 set of Christmas soup bowls and a gingerbread man and a snowman plate and bowl that I use from the day after Thanksgiving until the day after Christmas. We actually use dessert plates a LOT. Probably more than dinner plates. I have Christmas flatware with cute little snowflakes on them, and Christmas glasses, cooking utensils, bowls, measuring spoons, etc that I use throughout that time as well. I am a big fan of tacky Christmas dishes. The more color, he more character, the better. And I am especially fond of Gingerbread men and Snowmen. Even more so than Santa Clause.

When my mom or sister hosts our family for holidays, they use paper plates, as it is almost always over 30 people, many of them children, its buffet style and no one cares. They do make an effort to get fun seasonal ones anyway. But in my moms case, me and my sister often have to band together and bring OUR fun Christmas bowls and platters for serving, as it is impossible to convince my mom that plain white stuff is NOT appropriately festive for CHRISTMAS! UGH! She doesn't care. She just does not want to buy new stuff, and lets us bring whatever to decorate and make it fun and festive...and OH BOY DO WE!!!!

I remember that my mom used to have that Christmas set that everyone seems to have or have had. The one with the beautiful Christmas tree on it? I do not think it was Spode but it may have been. Anyway, we used that for both Thanksgiving and Christmas growing up. But, as everyone has gone forth, teamed up and multiplied (well my 5 siblings did anyway) its likely she still has it but not in near enough quantities to suffice for such a group. Then again, her and my dad are chronic declutterers, so she may have tossed them or given them to one of my siblings. I must ask about it.....

Most of the time I use Corelle for everyday dishes but I do have several and I mean SEVERAL vintage pieces of dinnerware that I also use. I have Spring, summer, fall and winter partial sets...LOL. I change them throughout the year. I am always on the lookout for vintage dishes. They are fun and cheap! I use the vintage stuff when I entertain. I have a very early Noritake fine china set from the 50's(got for a steal at a local estate sale years ago) that I use once in a great while when I entertain but it has pinecones and can only be used in the winter. I wish Corelle would come up with some better designs, most of them seem very dated.

I love the Blue Ridge ware. Back in the 70s, I worked in a funky health food restaurant that used mismatched thrift store dishes and cutlery and they had so much Blue Ridge! Back then plates & dishes could be had for pennies.

I have two drawers of everyday dishes. White Corelle plates (two sizes) since they're lightweight, and virtually unbreakable ( I have 4 youngish kids) then a set of green dishes and bowls from IKEA because they're inexpensive and match my new kitchen colors perfectly. I bought those after our reno. The green plates are for overflow if we run out of clean white ones, green bowls we use all the time. We have a set of wedgewood china that I just love that we use for holiday entertaining. I put it right in the dishwasher, no special treatment. I do like having a nice matching set of 12 place settings with no scratches, chips etc for holidays.

I remember when I started middle school that my mom announced she was tired of never getting to enjoy her beautiful wedding china and decided she would rather it be used and inevitably broken rather than never get to enjoy it (and us kids were finally old enough that we wouldn't break it the first time we touched it). So the "good china" became the everyday china for 20 years until enough had finally broken that she had to get new. She never regretted it.

Well, I’ve tried to respond twice already with no luck…maybe too many photos attached!

I love dishes also and have several sets. my favorite to use for entertaining is Spode Delamere. I have different styles of salad plates so I can mix it up for each holiday. These are the turkey plates, which of course I use for Thanksgiving! For everyday, I have an old Dansk stoneware set that is still going strong, with no chips or scratches.

I have about 20 melamine plates I use in summer for around the pool, white everday dishes and 2 sets of Christmas dishes and a set of china that never gets used.

I also have Lenox Christmas china, but I almost always end up using less expensive plates that I’ve purchased from Williams Sonoma or Pottery Barn (Purchased on clearance, since WS & PB can be expensive too!) I hate washing dishes and the inexpensive plates can go into the dishwasher.

My favorite Christmas combo, so very festive!

H202

"Please dont use paper plates. Thats terrible, and everyone knows better in 2021."

Falling down laughing at this silly statement. Of course we use paper plates and most certainly will continue. Oy vey.

OP, I have one set of dishes, the very first set that I bought in 1986.

I do have a set of Lenox Christmas dishes, that have not seen the light of day in years. I don't really cook holiday meals anymore so they really are not of much use to me sorry to say.

@lovemycorgi z5b SE michigan…I have those exact Turkey plates, inherited from my MIL. And yes, we use them once a year, on Thanksgiving.

Otherwise, for everyday use we have simple, sturdy white dishes, from IKEA. So inexpensive, we bought three extra sets as backup, which we store unopened, in the basement.

I also have two sets of dressy dishes, both inherited, one from my mother, and one from my MIL. I’ve never used my mother’s, as the set is gold rimmed, and can’t be put in the dishwasher…and they’re totally not my taste. Way too dressy for our lifestyle. The set from my MIL I like very much, and comes out for holidays, and other special occasions.

For barbecues, we have sturdy plastic plates, that can be put in the dishwasher, and reused.

"Boomers: I'll eat off paper plates and pollute the world because that's how I was raised."

Maybe you should read your own last sentence.

And, having been in developing countries with rampant poverty, I noticed that people there actually tended to have reusable plates and mugs. They can't afford to keep replacing the disposables.

Fun topic. I used glass for my every day dishes, kind of as a nod to the Great Depression and the colored glassware that brightened the lives of many hard working housewives back then. (My mother loved Libby & Anchor Hocking back in their hey day.) But I was down to less than a full set for 8, & with a growing extended family to feed, I replaced the glass dishes, after 38 years, with plain sleek white porcelain.

For holidays & entertaining, I use Homer Laughlin Vintage, a creamy white earthenware with an embossed grapevine design on the rims. I saw it in a magazine* food article in 1987 & went to Lord & Taylor to buy two sets of 8 place settings plus the serving pieces. Thirty-four years later, I still love it, though I've yet to use all 16 place settings at once.

I don't often use paper plates. But when I do, I like Chinette. Stay thrifty, my friends.

*Metropolitan Home. Now we're really traipsing down Memory Lane!

No. I have a bunch of mismatched stuff for everyday. Years ago (early 1980s) I bought Pfaltzgraff Heirloom, two sets and a completer set. One by one they broke over the years. I only have one serving bowl, the platter, sugar bowl and creamer thing that I use for gravy at Thanksgiving dinner. I then bought a set of Corelle, the one with green ivy around the edges. I have one full sized plate from that set left.

After that I bought glass plates (and bowls) from Wal-mart, both salad sized and dinner. I still have most of the plates left but only one bowl from the original buy, but I was getting tired of them. When I saw a white set at Costco last year I bought it. It's Mikasa Ciara and comes with salad and dinner sized plates. I use the salad plates a lot more as I don't eat huge meals. They also have a ringed pattern that goes with a set of glasses I bought a few years ago from Elder Beerman that were on sale. I love the shape of the bowls too and wish the mugs were rounder and more squat. I don't really like the shape of the mugs. The set was beautiful on bright red placemats I got at Ikea last year for Christmas. I also like that it comes with little and big bowls. I use the small bowls a lot too.

The only time I entertain is for my kids when they come home and bring friends. I also have a tiny kitchen so no room for lots of extra stuff.

A set of 4 red sparkly plates jumped in my car at Home Goods this afternoon. I treated myself, I've never had this sort of special dishes before. I have my sister over every Christmas morning and will use these for then.

Good for you! Enjoy!🎄

I have my grandmother's Mieto wedding china because my 85 year old mother didn't want it anymore. It almost never gets used except for Thanksgiving or Christmas. It's funny that the older china plates are much smaller than today's plates. I guess Americans were also smaller back then lol I think it's beautiful and I'm sentimental so it stays.

I have 12 place settings and serving of everyday dishes that I hate and have been looking to replace.

For entertaining I have:

24 place settings plus serving pieces of Federal Glass Normandie aka Bouquet & Lattice patern in orange iridescent color. I have been collecting this for years. It all started when my uncle gave me a box full of these dishes. I use them for Thanksgiving.

Two different patterns of International China each with 12 place settings and serving pieces. I called them my Christmas and Easter sets.

Let's not forget individual serving baking dishes for french onion soup, custard, quiches, creme brulee and the likes. I have 12 of each of many different types and sizes that I use for entertaining.

I am even worse with crystal glasses. I have glasses for everything from cordials, red & white wines, ports, brandy, champagne, water, ice tea, beer, etc.

Oh and let's not forget the silverware and serveware....

DD is helping me thin out possesions. Last week we got rid of about 10 tablecloths.

The only dishes I save for entertaining are server dishes because that’s when I need them. Otherwise if I own it I use it, a set of Lovegrove and Repucci and a set of vintage Bordallo Pinheiro cabbage ware.

I have, over the years, accumulated various dishware that I can either use for entertaining or every day. The key is some clear class, beige and white serving pieces that I can mix and match with several type of dishware, either dress up or down . . . I have a summer and fall entertaining set of dishes and I like the pattern so don't want to use them everyday so that they will be more likely to break. So I think you should ask yourself how much you like your everyday set. If you like it, maybe seek out a plain set that goes with it or your formal stuff. There are some beautiful dishes sans a printed or painted pattern but with beautiful design details. I'm thinking about getting a solid red, green and blue set myself, could be used at Christmas time and also in the summer. Something fun but inexpensive to mix with my holiday dishes and summer barbecue stuff.