I take my list of things I've seen on line or in a magazine that I want to look at (and possibly buy) - notions, tools, rulers etc. I may not necessarily buy these things for a variety of reasons such as:
- found they didn't seem as appealing when I could actually look at them
- thought they weren't worth what the dealers were asking for them
- ran out of money because I bought other stuff.
Or I may buy them after looking at them.
For fabric, I used to buy alot of fat quarters but recently I have stopped doing this unless the fabric has a purpose (ie vs adding to my stash of FQ). Now I will buy a kit or some 1-2 meter or yard cuts instead as it seems more useable. Very rarely I buy a charm pack or a jelly roll etc.
I try and leave my pocket book and my mind open to new gadgets, tools, patterns and fabric.
My test of whether I purchase or not is "how unhappy will I be if I don't buy this today" or "how likely am I to see this again" Often, if something is new on the market, I know I will see it in my LQS in a few months.
Have a great time and enjoy the experiences. Seeing the wonderful works and the variety of work presented makes the quilt shows worthwhile regardless of what I buy (or don't buy)