It might be hard to believe, but Martha Stewart 300TC sheets from KMart are fantastic. I just found a queen size set on clearance for about $32.00. Not a good selection of colors, but for the money, I didn't care. Regular retail for Queen size is about $70. They go on sale all the time.
This is what I buy too. I can usually get king sheets for about $30/set on clearance. I usually buy a neutral color like off-white so the color selection isn't an issue. I have a couple sets that I have had for at least 5 years and they are softer then soft, no pills and look great. I want to say they are 400 TC but maybe only 250.