I am on a fixed income and cannot afford the prices that are being shown out there in the fabric shops either. I don't know why the price has to be DOUBLED from the wholesale price. I am sure that profit can be made on less.
I have been buying online lately because there are many places that have excellent fabric for much less. I just bought a bunch of Kona fabric for $4.79/yd for example. I also know that Thousands of Bolts has prices in that range or below and there are some good brands there.
I spend time searching around online. If you are careful about the brands select you should not have any trouble.
I am blessed in that I also have a dear friend in Georgia who is an experienced quilter and guides me in the right direction also. That is how I found Kona fabric.
BE appalled and DON'T consider yourself cheap! We CANNOT be paying these high prices and we MUST NOT stop quilting. I apologize if this offends anyone on the board who has a shop, but this is how life is for some of us.