I buy most of my fabric on line, and will wait for a good sale - then will buy 1 yard of most things, 1/2 if it is a shop that will sell it that way. Since my eye is drawn to certain colors, I can usually spot one "focus fabric" and then shop my stash to put together a quilt. I never buy anything just because it's cheap, and I'm not really interested in bags of stuff from estate sales, yard sales - if I don't like it, I just don't want it around. I'll buy 5 yards of things that I think will work for a back, and I almost always buy Kona Snow 10 yards or more at a time. I will buy a fat quarter bundle from time to time if I love the fabric line and it is a screaming deal - also the occasional layer cake, but few and far between. Our local shops almost never discount more than 15%, which just doesn't cut it for me. I never buy a full price fabric just because I like it - it must have a dedicated purpose and I must have it now or I just won't do it.