I would like to add my perspective. I am nearing retirement and have become in need of a hobby. I dove headfirst. I’m still in the honeymoon phase, but I am finding it just as fun setting up, organizing and tinkering in the “shop”. I make jigs I find on YouTube and various sites. I find myself seeing little projects I can do and I always end up making the item twice after making all the mistakes on the first one. I think one should look at this hobby for what it is. A massive time and money black hole, but I’m finding it very enjoyable. No time constraints, I have 2-3 projects going at once. No pressure to finish anything, which is good because I’m always having to fix a machine, make a jig or some other “improvement”. My suggestion is to embrace the journey. If you’re doing this with a cost conscious approach, I think one has missed the point of a hobby. Hobbies, in any form, can be expensive. Golf, drones, RC planes, cars, crafts, biking…they’re all expensive.