I am not a collector of fabric. I inherited my SIL's stash when she passed away 20+ years ago and I am still finding cuts from her stash in my bins. As we all know, a little fabric can go a long, long way, except for backing of course. It can take a long time to use up what we have on hand already. I shop stash first, quilt shop second and the give away tables that I see at quilt groups I attend. I almost never buy fabric "because I like it or might use it someday". That is one way of keeping my stash under control.
For me the perfect time to buy fabric is when I need it. Like Quiltingcandy,, I have enough stash to feed my yearning to create quilts. I know that others purchase differently and just like our quilts, we do what fits our method, personality and desire to design and sew. Happy quilting. .