I got all my plates and glasses and silverware at stores like Big Lots when I first moved out. Whatever glasses and/or plate ware sets you buy, I would suggest getting two of each so you have plenty in case some of them break. A toaster and a microwave would be a must imo. A coffee pot would be a staple too. Keep in mind, even if you don't use these appliances regularly, if you have people visiting or spending the night, they may want stuff like toast or coffee.
For knives, I do the bulk of my chopping with a santoku knife. In addition, I would also recommend a serrated bread knife, and a sharp and sturdy de-boning knife so you can break down stuff like bone in skin on chicken thighs, which are frequently on sale. Maybe perhaps a meat cleaver too, for cutting through tougher bones and possibly a strong set of kitchen shears.
Pick up some glass baking dishes with fitted lids, as well as some roasting pans with lids too. Honestly, between roasting and slow cooking, I feel that the oven produces much better results than a slow cooker, plus it's faster. If you've got the 8 hours to wait for something in a slow cooker, it can be done in like 5 hours cooking on low heat in an oven instead.
An electric food steamer is great too. It steams vegetables far more evenly and consistently than a microwave - which often scorches stuff like broccoli. It also cooks perfect hard boiled eggs, and you can steam potatoes for mashed potatoes or home fries in just minutes. It cooks perfect rice too, as well as delicate fish. The biggest advantage though is that they start cooking in like 15 seconds, vs. waiting like 15 minutes for a pot of water to even start boiling.
