The first time I bought less than a yard, DH was surprised. He thought 1 yd was a minimum cut. Now, I have a sizeabe stash, I may just pick up a fat quarter. It all depends. Neutrals or blenders, 1/2 to 1 yard. Beautiful prints 3 yds. Something that might be a backing 5-ish yards. Fabric with special panel prints, I count the repeats and get at least 2 repeats.
I go through spurts when I buy very little and then I'll go hog wild.