Don't quit! Check out Bonnie Hunter's blog. She's been doing great quilts with old men's shirts she gets at the thrift store. She's says she's only buying fabric if she can't find just what she wants in her stash.
Remember our grandmothers did not go out & buy expensive gadgets. Especially during the war years when it was, "make do, or do without".
Good luck & hang in there. (love Boston. Great city but very expensive
)