I did not start out with a stash or even want one, but as they say, life happened. Bought a little extra, just incase I messed up, didn't need it, found a pattern I wanted to use but wanted to enlarge it so bought extra, didn't need that much extra, got home with another pattern and fabric for it, set it aside, when I finally got back to it decided I didn't want to do that pattern. It just lowly acuminated over the years. Now I do keep certain fabric's on hand and watch for them when they go on sale. Like backing fabric, muslin, solid black, flannel for baby quilts, I'm sure you get the Idea. Most good working stashes I have seen are like a good kitchen pantry, filled with the basic ingredients to make a great meal. You just have to shop for those few ingredients to make the meal special.