Jaquie, I went to that quilt show last year and spent very little because I tend to run around indecisive about anything until it's too late or I'm too tired to care. In fact, I realized after I went home and read the brochure that the sweet woman selling tickets had undercharged me, giving me the senior rate which I was a little too young for. I have mixed feelings about saving that buck! If you can justify the trip to Dallas to see your sister and friends, go and have a good time. Or if you're burned out on quilt shows for now, how about visiting the Dallas Arboretum in the beautiful spring weather? Maybe all the colorful flowers will inspire a quilt.
Last year I ran into a nearby neighbor of mine at the show who had just won a major ribbon for her quilt, and it was inspiring just to see that, though I'll never have the drive to create anything as flawless and artistic as her work.
My philosphy about impulse spending is to treat it as a wise gambler would. Decide ahead of time how much you are going to spend and only take that much with you. When you do spend it, decide that what you bought was the price of your recreation for that day, and if the purchases pay off as things you'll actually use, that's a bonus. My husband's hobby is golf, and all he has to show for his ($$$!!!) expenditures are score cards. If I see something more costly that I can't live without, the dealers all have business cards, and there will always be another chance after I've had time to think about it.
I live less than an hour away from one of the biggest quilt shows on the planet and didn't go to that one last fall. I go once every few years, but my grandbaby is in the Dallas area, so if the timing is right for visiting him, I'll go again. Not counting the 200 mile trip (which was justified by the family visit), the Dallas show had a reasonable admission price and parking was free, if I remember right.
Our Woodlands Area Quilt Guild is getting ready to host its first quilt show in April, and I can't wait to go to that one.