I am lucky that there is a LQS within a reasonable drive that sells older fabric lines for $7-8 a yard. It is the only reason I can afford to buy enough fabric to make anything with at the moment.
Here in Illinois our minimum wage is set to climb from $8.25 to $15 over the next few years, and in my part of the state businesses can't afford that. My department at work is already half the size it was last year, with no new hires planned. After the cost of living increases to match the costs of paying employees so much, I won't be able to afford to live here anymore. My entire living plan revolves around paying off my student loan and other debt this year so I can afford to move out of state when the bottom falls out of everything locally.