I buy FQ's often. I like using a lot of fabrics in my quilts so FQ work for me. I also do a lot of applique, I might do a flower with each petal a different shade of pink, so I need many colors in my stash to choose from. To buy yardage of all those colors would cost too much at once. I have been very surprised how far a FQ will go. There have certainly been times that I wished that I had bought more than a FQ, but unless you are buying for a specific pattern and don't really plan on having a stash, that is bound to happen. Or if you buy several yards of a fabric and only use half of it, will you really want to make another quilt with the same fabric? The longer you make quilts the better you will get at judging which fabrics to buy by the yard and which to just get a FQ. FQ's do usually cost a bit more than a 1/4 yd. cut, but sometimes it is worth it to not have to stand in line waiting to have fabric cut.