I feel your pinch in the wallet quilting on my social security budget too and have employed a few tricks to obtain fabric for little money. First one is to join the local freecycle.com recycling site. You can post for free what you are looking for. IN my case I asked for remnants of cotton sewing scraps. I also go to Goodwill often and look for fabrics, in complete quit tops, fabrics or clothing that could be recyled into a quilt top. Yard sales, estate sales,etc. if you have your heart set on certain colors, designs or themes to the fabric it can be tough but scrap quilts can turn out beautifully, are soft and cuddly and turn out to become peoples favorite quilts because they feel snuggly from the beginning. Good Luck and Happy QUilting...