Oh you lucky woman! I have wanted to go to Houston for years and have set myself a goal to treat myself when I turn 60 (4 years to save)! I agree with what everyone else has said about treating yourself but stay within budget. Does sound like hubby will be forgiving of a little indulgence so go for it and have loads and loads of fun!

Bring food!!! We didnt at the one in Santa Clara, and I didn't want to waste precious time leaving, so we ate there. For 3 sandwiches, 3 chips, and 3 cans of soda, as well as a cookie and some fruit was a stinking waste of $39. Ugh. and the food was horrid.
Next time, lll bring my own! And, save money for Fat Quarter Queen. Awesome stuff she has!!!!!!

I always take just what I can afford, but then I take 2 checks and a credit card just in case.lol

What I have found though a lot of the stuff I just had to have at the time and I knew I would use, I have never used. So now I am much more careful spending.

Take what you can afford. You can always get vendor's business card and order later. If you can stay until Sunday, you will find big sales and excellent prices. Vendors want to take as little home as possible.

ditto

I have not been to Houston, but to go to several large shows locally, MQX (My favorite)! I always tend to spend a little more than I should/plan to. If you can afford to, stash a little mad money seperately for "just in case" or "it called my name"

you don't need much cash - everyone take credit cards and stay within your budget.

cash can get lost or stolen plus you don't get points or cash back when using cash.

i never have more then $40 of cash and most times i don't even have that much and it stays in my wallet for months.

we pay all our credit cards in full every month.

That sounds about right to me, too. :D And packing your own food is definitely a great idea! Who wants to buy food when there is fabric??

I've never been to a large quilt show, but if it's anything like the homeschool conventions I used to go to, it's easy to spend a lot of money. If hubby says go for it, then I say budget for as much as you can comfortably afford.

This is great advice. hope I remember it when my turn comes. have fun, and show us your loot when you return!

$200 CASH sounds good - but I'd also have a debit card to access more if needed...

I'd probably use the cash for small purchases and the debit card for larger purchases.

When I attend the large quilt shows, I always walk around once making notes about what I'd like to buy and most importantly what booth number it's in. This helps me to reason out what I really Want and Need. Works for me :)

I also carry snacks (banana, yogurt, pretzels, water) in my bag so I don't have to spend $$$ for water or small snack. I spend the money on a reallllly nice dinner after the quilt show that day.

Have FUN

Only take what is easily affordable. Then there will be no regrets and you will truly enjoy this experience (IMHO) - smile.