I'm in a somewhat similar situation although not totally w/o funds. Injured at work a little over a year ago & have been receiving WC since, so at least the bills are being paid. The kicker is I just found out a few weeks ago I can't go back to my job due to the weight restrictions & I just had my first meeting with a "specialist" to find a new "career". I'm due some money (8.5k) that I loaned my brother & am leaning towards a DAC (~3k) for my next upgrade. The rest will go to my Roth/savings for this year & then I'm back to square one.
What makes my situation tolerable is I (we) have no debt other than the house & even that is no biggie, so what I'm getting at here is for anybody who likes to buy audio or autos or whatever that is expensive is not to go into debt over it. It took me 12 yrs. to clear up my debt & although my credit was & is perfect, I knew I was only a few paychecks away from trouble.
If your finances are in good shape & the money you are contemplating for an upgrade could also be used for an investment that you could risk taking a big hit on (read buy upgrade then have to sell at 70% loss) then by all means get it & don't look back. If after thinking this through you have doubts then of course don't venture into these waters. The old "Let me sleep on it" actually comes in handy in these instances.
Bottom line is this is supposed to be a fun hobby but if there are conditions that cause uncertainty/trepidation, then steer clear & make sure to keep it a positive experience.
What makes my situation tolerable is I (we) have no debt other than the house & even that is no biggie, so what I'm getting at here is for anybody who likes to buy audio or autos or whatever that is expensive is not to go into debt over it. It took me 12 yrs. to clear up my debt & although my credit was & is perfect, I knew I was only a few paychecks away from trouble.
If your finances are in good shape & the money you are contemplating for an upgrade could also be used for an investment that you could risk taking a big hit on (read buy upgrade then have to sell at 70% loss) then by all means get it & don't look back. If after thinking this through you have doubts then of course don't venture into these waters. The old "Let me sleep on it" actually comes in handy in these instances.
Bottom line is this is supposed to be a fun hobby but if there are conditions that cause uncertainty/trepidation, then steer clear & make sure to keep it a positive experience.