I'm with you! I found a site for 'bulk' buying and they were really inexpensive.......huge selection of color! I haven't bought any in at least 3 yrs after the initial investment (which as I said was very reasonable). The shops sell what I bought for 2-3X what I paid. Do some searching if it is of interest to you! I like the idea of winding several before starting a project though-I will also try that!