The Dollar Store Shopper:
Dishin' On Dishes

This writer has helped two offspring to move out into the world and into their own places, and both times, I started with a trip to the dollar store. It's a great place to go when you need to outfit your first apartment with some basic kitchen necessities and you can't get more basic than dishes. Even long-established kitchens want a bit of a change once in a while. If you're feeling that way, here are just a few of the attractive possibilities we found at dollar stores.

This cheery blue and yellow dinnerware was $1 for each piece, as was the silverware. It makes a great everyday table setting or dress it up with a fabric placemat and a champagne glass for orange juice, each a dollar, for brunch with a couple of friends.

Here's a plain white dinner plate that lends itself well to a more formal dining experience when paired with a glass charger. It cost a dollar, as did the wine glass and square dinner plate. The bamboo-style cutlery is $1 for each piece. Cook up something special for yourself and your sweetie.

Don't be afraid to mix different shapes of dinnerware. In my experience, you can generally find matching side plates to go with the dinner plates, but this flowered luncheon plate brings a little pizzazz to the dining experience. The dinner plate was found at one of those quasi dollar stores and cost $2. The luncheon plate and drinking glass were $1 each.

All it takes is a little imagination to turn plain into pleasing. So, if you need a few pieces of dinnerware, start at the dollar store and see what develops.

Marlene Alexander is a writer living in Ontario, Canada. For more on dollar store shopping, visit her website at DollarStoreStyle.com.

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