In all things in life - not just quilting - buy what you can afford. Quilting is supposed to be fun and if you're worrying about the money spent you won't have fun. Remember, it's your quilt, you can do what you want. If premium fabric were the only way to go, that's all that would be available. I've used all kinds of fabric in quilts. There are some very nice fabrics that are less expensive. I don't buy much online because i like to feel the fabric before I buy it. I've gotten some nice fabrics at Wal-mart. And I've bought some at LQS that were not so nice. Connecting Threads sells very nice fabrics for $596/yd.