How to Save Money at the Quilt Shop

The most obvious way to save money at the quilt shop may to be to simply not go there when it’s open, but how much fun is that? Here are some more realistic ways you can save money at the quilt shop.

• Make a List … and stick to it. If you are shopping from a list, you can avoid impulse buys such as all those “just so pretty I had to have it” fabrics.
• Just Hold It … for a little while. I read about his technique once in reference to shopping for clothing and to my surprise I have applied it to fabric with much success! The idea is that if you see something you really, really love, just pick it up and carry it around the store while you look at other things. Walk it around the store as long as you have to until the realization of “what am I really going to do with this?” takes hold. Eventually, you will realize it’s just a passing infatuation and you can set it back down where you found it. Sometimes, just “owning” it for a little while is all that you need.
• Cash Only – If you bring a finite amount of cash into the store and leave your credit cards behind, you will not be able to over-shop.
• Empty Pockets – Sometimes I just want to go to the quilt shop to look at new fabrics, with no real idea of any projects in mind. This is a very dangerous activity. I am usually just bored, wanting to get out of the house or discouraged with a current project. Before I know it, I’m walking out of the shop $100 lighter with a bunch of projects destined for the NESTY* pile. When you are suffering from this kind of quilting ennui, it’s best to head to the shop with no money at all. You can browse and touch all the pretty things with no danger to your wallet. If you see something you really love, and the idea sticks with you for more than a few days, then you can return some other day with cash to buy it, knowing that you have really considered the purchase and are not being impulsive.
• Reward Based Shopping – If you have amazing willpower and only allow yourself to go to the fabric shop after you have completed a project, you can avoid those fabric stacks getting too deep.

*NESTY – Not Even Started Yet

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