I am retired and my extra income has been seriously cut due to the economy. I do all the things people have talked about and really don't feel deprived - yet. I still have two luxuries, cable and cell phone, that I can downsize before I have to worry about my quilting budget, however, I do make a lot of applique and scrap quilts which I really prefer over the quilts that use only one special fabric line that has to be purchased at a LQS.