Gift Certificate Paralysis

As a result of my Lane County Fair win this past summer, I have a gift certificate: $20 to spend at one of the many fabulous quilt shops in the area, courtesy of our local quilters' Guild.  The gift certificate, which has been in my purse since August, expires at the end of December.

Aack!  What am I going to buy with it?  As in many areas of life, too many choices leave me paralyzed.

First choice: which shop to use the coupon at?  If only Something to Crow About was one of those featured shops, I would certainly make my purchase there.  They are my "home" quilt shop; I know what they carry, I know the layout of the store and all the employees, plus they have a giant sale at the end of December.  Alas, it was not meant to be.  That leaves two other Eugene shops: Piece by Piece Fabrics (a current mini-obsession due to their blog, modern quilting patterns, and bright, whimsical fabrics) and The Quilt Patch

Second choice: what to shop for?  I have been turning this over and over in my mind, unwilling to just wander into the store and go with the flow.  I feel like I must have a purpose to this gift certificate: no willy-nilly impulse purchases allowed!  Why am I imposing this restriction, when I make impulsive fabric/pattern/notions/book/magazine purchases all year long at quilt shops?  Heavens, I don't know.  But the idea, which I can't seem to shake, has me basically sitting at home fretting over what I will use my $20 on.  (Okay, I recognize it as part of my overall perfectionist demon.  But I'm still stuck.)

The current thoughts seem reasonable: buy something that would help you finish or move forward on one of your current WIPs.  Ah, the infamous work-in-progress bin.  What's in that bin, anyway?

WIP Inventory:

• Buck-a-block/BOTM
• Stack-n-whack quilt for my bed
• 1930's reproduction challenge blocks from quilt camp
• "How do you feel about..." word play wall hanging

Problem is, I don't need anything for these projects, unless it is batting.  And there is nothing exciting or sexy about spending my gift certificate on batting.  I might as well buy spools of thread!

Bah, humbug.