LOVE this reply....it is the truth...why spend money on a lesser quality TOOL when the tools are make the craft? That would be like a home builder using a staple gun, duct tape, and elmers glue to build a house...TOOLS need to be the best;..and to me things like Gingher's are an heirloom item to be handed down...I just hope my boys like my collection..hehehhe

I give Gingher scissors as wedding gifts. The bride my look at it strange but when she needs scissors for any job and they perform great time after time she'll realize what a great gift it really was. I use Ginger scissors as household scissors and my sewing scissors are left alone. I've never paid more the $20 for Gingher scissors since internet shopping!

I am frugal to the max when it comes to fabric. This does not mean walmart or double knits but does mean garage sales, estate sales, guild sales, and auctions. I also let my friends know to pass me the fabric and scraps they don't want rather than tossing them. I have even gone thru the trash at retreats to collect great fabric and selvages that were thrown out.

We are lucky here to have a large city with a lot of quilters who all love fabric. About four times a year or so, there is a fabulous sale of some kind that results in lots of interesting fabric. Since i am not all about matching fabrics and like to try mixing up and scrap quilts, this is great.

Right now I am waiting on a phone call from a gal that had a garage sale in the spring and called me to tell me she was having another. The great part is that she is a fabric representative for two companies and handles four states. She gets all kinds of fabric in precuts, packages of fat quarters, yardage, etc. and cannot use it all. She remembered me and wanted me to know. Hey, high end fabric at $3 per yard beats any shop around (except the wholesalers) and she has current stock. I got 60+ bright coordinated fat quarters for $36.

I told her about our charity quilt making for a residential children's home and she is going to give me her excess boy fabric for these quilts. She is great.

Someone here sent me a big box of scraps of kid prints for the cost of postage and I got enough for 3 or 4 (maybe more) twin sized quilts of wonderful colorful fabric once I cut it up.

I always buy the best of everything. I tried Walmart fabric, but ended up giving it to a second hand store because it felt so stiff and horrible. I don't buy anything at all from Walmart. Nothing for the household. I buy from LQS for my sewing and good online stores also. I tried Harbor Frieght blades and they skipped something fierce, so I learned my lesson there. I'm not a snob at all. I just don't want to waste my money on crappy stuff when I can pay a little more and get really nice quality things that will last. Also, the fabric from Walmart...I would have been embarrassed to make a quilt out of that and give it to someone. My Walmart sells the worst fabric. I know there are other Walmart's that sell better fabric, so don't think I'm bashing all Walmarts, just mine.

Frugality rules, so long as I don't sacrifice quality ... the quality I need vs. overbuying a higher end quality, that is perhaps beyond my forseeable needs.

Top of the line purchases are important to me, only if they offer what I need, and there is not an alternate suitable choice.

Buying the "best" of something doesn't necessarily give me a better end product or end use, than a lesser brand name. And yes, sometimes buying "the name" is important as it is truly The Best! I try to balance how important is the best, vs. what is good enough.

I guess you can call me a blend of ... "Buyer Beware" and "Shop Wisely"!!

On this date two years ago, I bought a 2 series Bernina right before they went to the 3 series, purchased 2 pairs of gingher scissors, a olfa rotary cutter and a cutting mat. I have taken at least 8 classes and today I finished my first quilt ever. It is a wall hanging and it is about 3 feet x 3 feet. I have several works in progress and all stages.

Currently I have working on machine quilting another wall hanging, that I started in a quilting class I took last year. I love quilting it is sort of like vegetable garden.

You can invest a lot of money in gardening tools and plants, seeds etc. but in the end it is the love and care that makes it a vegetable garden.

I should have worded the original question better.

I have finally learned - that for appliances, etc. that much of the time the best value for us is in the 40-75% range - not the top of the line, not the bottom of the line, but around the middle of the line.

Sometimes all the bells and whistles are just too complex for me to figure out. Sometimes those seem to be the first things to fail. A lot of the time it's the budget that says: This is what you can afford. Deal with it.

I buy quality or I do without, and I don't buy anything on impulse...except maybe chocolate. :o It's not frugality or extravagance...it's just plain Yankee heritage.

It is fortunate that you can order from the internet ... maybe not feel or touch the items before sale, but still an effective method.

Sewing and quilting is my hobby and should be fun and not an exercise in frustration so quality matters. I really believe in having quality tools, ie. sewing machine, notions, and fabric. In the same breath...I love a bargain too. I use coupons whenever possible and watch for sales to get the best for less.

I also save in other areas. I'd venture a guess that I have fewer clothes and shoes than most women. In addition, I save a cosiderable amount of money on food. Again, I stock up on things when they are on sale and make use of coupons. I cook and rarely use convenience foods.

In years past I had to shop price before quality. Today, our budget is larger, but old habits die hard so I always try to get the best for the best price. Quality doesn't have to break the bank...you just need to hunt a bit.