Let's talk: How I choose and buy fabric

So I may have mentioned before, that I live in a bit of a fabric store free zone. My nearest craft store is half an hours drive away (and has a very limited range) but the fabric shop that I usually go to is about an hour and a halves drive away. I know for some of you out there, that will seem like no distance at all but for me this limits me to weekends and usually I have other stuff on at the weekend. This means that often I will only go to the fabric shop once a year. This is probably not a bad thing as I already have enough fabric. Before you ask, I choose not to buy fabric on-line, as you can't see the fabric in person (obviously) and so you don't know exactly what you're going to get.

Please ignore the strange orange tinge to the photos. The store lighting had an interesting effect on my camera and I didn't have the time or patience to change my white balance. 

Recently I went to the craft store I mentioned to pick up some small amounts of fabric for I quick project that I hope to show you soon but this trip got me thinking that maybe I should evaluate how I shop for fabric. Note that this is a personal reflection and nothing more.
1. I always have a budget.
I'm a student with a "weekend job" so I'm not exactly going to spend lots of cash on fabric. I have a budget and stick to it.

2. My list is the most important thing to me when shopping!
Before I leave I create a list of everything I want to get for up coming projects and roughly how much money I'm thinking of spending on each item.
3. I leave a little money spare.
I often leave a little money spare in my budget for those pieces of fabric that just grab your attention and you don't have a plan for but hey it looks cute!
4. Every piece of fabric has to pass the test.
Every piece of fabric I think about buying has to pass the "would I wear this if I bought it from a shop?" test. If I wouldn't wear it normally then just because it's cheap, doesn't mean I should get it, after all I have to wear the item of clothing later.

5. Go with an open mind and understanding you may not get what you where looking for.
Often when I go to the fabric shop, I'm looking for a particular type of fabric, with a particular print. I always go knowing I may not get what  want, that doesn't mean I compromise, it just means that I put that project idea aside for another year.However if I find something that would work just as well and I'm super passionate about it and it would work for the project I had in mind, then that's a different matter.
So there you have it, a quick break down of my thought process when I'm buying fabric.

I hope this has inspired you!