Oh, my...I generally pay about $10 now. My daughters both sewed while in 4H. I happened to overhear a comment from another mother something to the effect that 'only poor farm kids do 4H and sew'. I really came up for air on that one and let her have it by telling her exactly how expensive it really was for my daughters to have the 4H experience! Fabric is expensive. Patterns are expensive. Trims are expensive. When my DD made a beautiful wool coat for her final year in 4H sewing project, we had much more money in the coat (excluding her time) than what she could have bought a comparable coat in a dept store.
With 2 in college right now, I do watch my spending very carefully...I find I just don't buy on a whim, I have to have a specific project in mind. And, like many of you, I am trying to finish things before I start something new. I imagine these higher prices will just make us all be more smart with our purchases.