I agree that they are expensive. But, you really only need 2 or 3 good rulers to start. my favorites are 12x12 and 6x24. I also have (among a whole bunch of others) a 6x6 square up ruler that I use all the time. Like Texas Sunshine said there are good deals online - or maybe you could get one with a 50% off coupon at JoAnns. You sure don't need to get a ton of rulers all at once to start out with. I suppose you could have someone at a hardware store or hobby shop cut you some pieces of acrylic in the correct dimensions, but I'm not sure how you would get all the markings on there accurately. And if the quarter-inch and eighth-inch lines aren't right, you'll have a huge problem when cutting your fabric.