I occasionally buy by the yard, especially if i'm in a hurry and procrastinated on a project that needs done now (crud! the wedding's the day after tomorrow and I really need to quilt this double wedding ring tonight!). But for the most part it's cheaper for me to buy it by the roll. Either way I'd say those prices are way too high (but i'm up here in NY).
Just my 2 cents!
Cheryl
P.S. yes that quilting example really happened. I actually managed to quilt and bind a queen size quilt in a day and a half. I will never ever do it again. :) Lessons learned.