My favorite quilts are very scrappy. I'm also frugal and don't like to waste money on fabric I won't use. The first three quilts that I made were scrappy, but I went out and bought lots and lots of FQ or half yard cuts before each one. I ended up with lots of scraps
When I started planning seven quilts to give to family, I wasn't sure how to stockpile fabrics for them. Bonnie Hunter's scrap savers system at quiltville.com seemed just right for me. One thing she suggests is to cut 10.5" squares of fabric to piece backings. That seems to keep me from buying big yardages just in case I need them for backings. If I need something specific for sashes or borders for a certain quilt, I promised myself that I would buy them after I finished piecing the blocks. Then I started buying one yard cuts of fabric for cutting strips for piecing. I had to step away from quilting for a while, but every now and then I pick up a few one yard cuts of fabric , knowing that I have a cutting plan for strips and squares.