Every hobby costs money, some hobbies more than others. I think we all try to do as much as we can with the available resources. I started the hobby in the early seventies, quit it in the late seventies and came back in the early nineties. Naturally everything is more expensive, but the sheer amount of choices in the kits, glues, paints, and aftermarket make it more enjoyable than it ever was when i was in my early teens.