It makes me very sad that you would give up time with friends just to avoid bringing fabric home with you. I hope you reconsider this decision. Fabric is only fabric, and where it lives is unimportant. Time with friends is to be treasured.

Dunster, I will go once a month to PL to sew, chat, deliver quilts but NOT shop. My best friend there has the same issue I have and she just may go once a month as well. I have no resistance to free fab and chocolate!

I bought a magazine that had twenty-four 2.5" squares included. I have fallen off the moratorium wagon....

I am dusting off my pants and climbing back up again. Darn Sam's for having quilting magazines with fabric squares in them....

ibex94, Use those little gems in our swap, if they are of "good quality fabric", and they will be out the door! Ta-Da!! A win, win in my book. ;)

Remember though.... I get all those square counts back for my birthday so it is just an even trade. I have made a deal with myself. Any fabric I pick up like this, if I use it within the month I get it then I don't have to feel guilty. I think I am going on a quilting book/magazine moratorium wagon, too. I hate reading online but I think I have built up my library now enough that I can stop adding to it.

Time to get my Christmas tree made with those candies that I've collected over the last couple of swaps! Or maybe I'll try one of those new cross themes that Sewbizgirl pointed out.... Only a couple days of quilting freedom left. Meetings for school have started already. Classes begin Jan 23. Let the juggling of work and quilting begin!

I'm encouraged by all the posts here, and am hopping on board. Of course, it's easier since I recently "indulged" in the Black Friday sales. Sort of like the motivation to go on a diet the day after a food binge. And that lasts until I see chocolate . . . sigh. Anyway, I don't think I have as much of a stash as many, but still more than I can use for the rest of my life. Soooo my plan, in addition to not buying just for the stash, is to make a lot of pieced backings. That will use up the "what was I thinking?" fabrics, and whittle things down a bit.

Synnove -- I like the way you think! I, too, bought during the sales. If I can stay away from them, maybe I won't buy any more for a while. All my BOOM 28 blocks have boomeranged back to me. So much fun!! I am going to quilt each block individually so I can use up parts of my stash, too. I don't buy large yardage so I don't really have anything on hand that would be a solid backing unless I use a sheet. But why use a sheet when I can use up fabric from my stash? The joy of the stash is the challenge of using it all up for me right now. Ask me again next week if I still feel the same.

My credit card has a low limit and I maxxed it out over Christmas sales. And used all my cash/checking. Forced to stop. Paid the card. Checking replenished. Oooh! The shopping 🛍 I could do. Then I remember quilts already on my to-do list. And last night did some scraps mgmnt. My mind was very busy with ideas for scraps. Whew! Dodged the “buy me” bullet”. Will need background fabric-there’s boxes waiting in the garage.

But there are carts out there with my name on them and some desirable fabric……. NO! NO! STAY STRONG! I can do this!

Love myself enough to say NO.

Everyone is doing great and there is really good energy on this group. I'm thankfully no longer tempted to buy fabric "just because". My problem is accepting free fabric from people and instead of passing it along it ends up adding to my stash. So after finding room for two large tubs of fabric last week, my new goal for the year is if fabric is given to me, it only stays if an equal amount goes out. I'll keep what I love only if it ends up not adding yardage. Otherwise I'll never be able to make enough quilts to use what I have in my lifetime. And since I'm 74, I don't have a lot of years ahead of me.

I know exactly what you mean -- I'm going thru some cleanup right now tho and bringing back some things that I picked up earlier and adding a few more to the table of goodies. Also staying out of JoAnns and the LQS. I never manage to "just browse" I really want to reduce my collection to where it fits in the available space. I have 3 quilts for donation so I cant skip.

Just use that "We have food at home" energy!