Welcome!! Yes, it is expensive to get started. When I was learning I went to the thrift stores and either bought fabric or men's shirts or blouses (always trying for 100% cotton, but if I found something I liked that was not, I got it too). That way I could make mistakes and not feel I was wasting a ton of money. One of the best quilters I know has a 24"x36" cutting mat, a rotary cutter, a seam ripper, a 12x24 ruler and shape cutter -- she says she wants to save her money for fabric. Her quilts are amazing. When shopping for fabric, I look at clearance and sale fabric. When buying tools, I use the Joann's coupons or shop sales and never pay full price. Now that I am retired, I put aside a certain amount of money each month for my "habit" so I don't feel bad when I want to buy something. If what I want is expensive I save for a few months to get the money. I still look at the thrift stores and I shop garage sales to get fabric, too.