I have a lot of rulers bought at Joanns with coupons or on sale.
The very basics I use the most are the 6 1/2 by 24 and the 6 1/2 by 12.
But for special rulers my Quilt in a Day flying geese and also the 6 in triangle sq up ruler are my best investment.
I also like to use my largest 16 in square for squaring up my quilts.

My fav is the Omni 5x24 with a lip for more acceracy & the 4x14 omni for smaller projects. You'll get a collection after awhile.
And don't ever pay full price. Jo-ann coupons are the best

You can go to glass shop and have them cut you any size ruler you want very cheap out of 1/8 pexie glass.. It won't be marked of course but great for getting every size square for squaring up. I got a 18" square for $7 at the local windshield repair shop.

My favorite for cutting strips is the optima 6x24. It is black numbers and markings on one side and yellow on the other. It also has the eighth markings which I use.

Jo-anns for me is out of the question unless I order off the net. The closest one I know of is just under 2 hours away. But I shall check the net on them and sign up. I have not been to one in 3 years. I know there has to be one closer maybe I can find it off their site. I know I am driving at least 2 counties away to get to one, for our county has nothing like that. Just love living in the country in a real small town. Heck it take me 30 mins just to get to wallyworld. Thant on the other side of town for me and we are 10 miles out of town.

Wally World does stock a 6.5 x 24 Fiskars ruler think it's around $10. It's not bad, if you like pink. It seems to hold up well, it was the first ruler we bought 4 years ago, and it's still going strong.

I understand what you are saying about getting there. We live 8 miles outside of town and WM is on the other side of town takes about 25 minutes to get there. We've got you on Joann's, our closest one is only an hour and a half away.

I agree with the suggestions you have gotten so far. Another consideration is a ruler that I find invaluable (I am a goofy gadget girl) have waaay too many rulers. But there is only one I would fight you for! That is my June taylor shape cut. This tool is so phenomenal!! Takes a little getting used to as your RC fits into slits to cut strips, squares, etc. from 1/2 " and up. This tool comes in 2 sizes and although it is spendy to start with it is (I think) well worth the price. It does not shift on your fabric either.

Also another fun place to go for goodies is: WWW.create for less.com
books patterns, you name it at really good prices!
when you can sve $$ on these things you can spend more on fabric! right piecers? heh heh
SanDee

My favorites are made by Creative Grid. The lines are clear, but not thick.

I have an Omni Grip that will be going w/ me to the guild swap table - I HATE all of those lines all over. The neon grippy things make it impossible to see the measurement lines on the fabric edge. Luckily, it was a gift so cost me nothing.

I started w/a 6 X 24 Fiskars (which was okay; don't even know if they make them any more) and slowly built my collection. My most used now is a 6.5 X 12. I even cut my strips with it (fold fabric 2x). I also use my square rulers a lot - I like to square everything up as I go - and have them in many sizes from 2.5" to 15.5". The only "speciality" ruler I have is a QIAD flying geese one, I do like that when I am making geese.

Bonnie Hunt recommends an Easy Angle; I haven't tried one yet. I'm starting to get my scraps into order using her system, so maybe soon I'll try the ruler.

I have both sizes of the rulers with the slits. !/4 inch and the 1/2 in. Love them. I also use my 6.5 x 24 and 6.5 x 12 alot. Was able to purchase both at JoAnn's with a coupon or it was on sale. I have a 10% off total purchase card for JoAnn's as long as I didn't use a coupon for the item, it can be used, even on sale items.

Mary