Who else here is frugal?

"Funny"...well, amusing @ times, but most of the posts seem fairly straightforward & rational to some extent...

What do you call a person who rarely buys..

...Things? First, let us define ’Things’, Friend Eric. ( No, I’m not trying to be snotty...just Serious. *S*

We (spouse & self) have owned 2 homes, currently working on acquiring the 3rd. This is to be placed on a 1/2 ac. we purchased 7ish yrs. ago.
This is Priority 3.

Priority 1:
Some 14 yrs. ago, we purchased a business. Having diligently worked since to turn it into an entity that now has a ’rep’ not only for doing excellent work, but is actually pleasant and nearly fun to work with.

We spend $....$K on lumber, materials, wages, taxes, utilities, rent, all that. New tools when necessary, but I keep eyes peeled for the used (but not abused) items that may not be needed immediately. But, if one wants Growth, the means to do so are worth the investment. Carefully regarded used equipment is one means of keeping the ROI high..

Priority 2 is keeping ourselves healthy and happy while making #1 do more than pay the bills; making #3 a reality is part of that.

All else is Optional.

My audio endeavours is an adjunct to #2, but an extravagance. My approach to my version of it isn’t quite what most would deem ’normal’. I’m reasonably certain that any of you watching me take a nice new speaker and cutting the cone out of it would disturb...

...and what follows That...is what amuses ME.

I’ve owned ’nice things’ audio in the past...Really!  I can ’hear’ most of the characteristics y’all banter about; even now, old, looking in the mirror & annoyed at what I’m seeing....("Good morning...you look like hammered sh*t...oh, well....off into the day..."). ;)

In the mid ’80’s, it became very apparent that ’hi-end audio’ was continuing to head towards the stratosphere. ’ROI’ vs. Obvious Improvement would narrow such that only +$ would entail ’details’ that would require +$ in the environment placed to appreciate such.

So, I quit. Not the hobby, but the pursuit of Perfection.

(kenjit’s forum on the Perfect Speaker comes to mind in this quest...
"What?! Huh?!" *L* He’d really be better off getting a trophy wife to find Nirvana...Speakers? No...)

Of late, I do what I do on a shoestring...because I can, and I know what I want...and I know what I’m trying accomplish.

I’m so used to doing the improbable with next to nothing that it’s entertaining to Me to do so.

I’m actually looking forward to having the opportunity to have a bit of ’hi-end’ linked to my ’lo-rent’, just to see what happens.

If I can startle you enough to drop your jaw....*L* Nirvana Achieved. *S*

It’s good to have goals, I hear...;)

I really want y'all to know and accept that I do respect & admire the commitment to everyone's pursuits...even if I don't agree with everything applied in that process.

We all have our visions of Heaven.

Your local brick & mortar dealer depends upon you, if you choose.  Support him/her if you care.

We all have our own 'means to our ends'; follow such as you see fit.

If my means seem quixotic, and lead straight up without handholds....

Be happy in knowing I am doing (nearly) Precisely what I want to do.

Y'all do that too. *S*  (Like you need permission...right...*L*)

@audiozen.... *S*  Thank You.  I do try to be straightforward and honest in my own 'bent' sort of way. ;)  And I appreciate your comments on 'sounding like we're in similar places'....

Except my 'day job' is spending other people's $ on making 'things' for their children, grandkids...and those of total strangers that I will never meet.  Some are moved to F'book us to tell us that what we do creates smiles and enjoyment for both their kids and them.

THAT...makes my RT work the best employment I've ever had and likely will. *VBS*

Night 'work' is 'recoup' time, and spending some on my 'take' on audio and the pursuit of 'that which intrigues'.  It's very '180 out' on the daytime activities, but both require a 'stretch' that helps to keep the wetware from becoming cold oatmeal.... ;)

I'm 'frugal' in the sense of putting $'s where I can 'follow my muse', entertain a notion, and/or just improve on what's caught my curiosity for the past decade (or 2, at this point...).  It's an obscure corner of 'audioism', to be sure....

But...it keeps me out of bars, and only gets me in trouble with the spouse periodically. *L*

And I get to 'chat up' with y'all at times. *S*

...and sometimes Just Watch as the periodic 'Topic That Should Not Be Brought Up' heads off into 'Multi-Page Heights' without a road map....*L*

Now...That's Entertainment! *LOL* ;)

@glupson...*Oops..* Sorry, that was 'aimed' @erik_squires , but I may have 'miscued'....

Keepin 'virtual identities' straight in the midst of all this hilarity, late at night, burning the last shreds of my vague consciousness into ash.....

Pardon. *S*

...anyway.....

https://ultimist.com/video/2018/07/21/michael-fremers-listening-room/

...if you want to see Mike's dZ amps....and a 'listening space' that makes me feel better about mine....

...and enough Lp's to pave a street....a small street, but....*L*

@glupson...and I didn't respond to your query re 'homes', which I meant as a 'owned residence'; a single-family house.  As opposed to an apartment, condo, or that which one can't 'enhance' without raising ire or some similar crop of irritance..;)

Yes, "things" in specific (audio)....I drifted off into generalities, which given the 'frugal' topic effected my comments. It most certainly does so in my overall existence.  A small portion of that 'overall' is my audio enhancements to it and within it.

Not having a larger portion of 'net income' to devote to 'better' equipment, I could kvetch and be surly about it.  Instead, I take it as an challenge.

One can start with a raw diamond, and begin to polish it.  If you're skilled at such, you end up with...a diamond.

Now, if all one has is a more 'common' gemstone....a 'pigs ear' rock, to 'push' the analogy...

I think you get my drift. *S*  It's more of a feat to actually make the silk purse.  Or a lovely stone, desirable for itself rather than 'market value'....

Even stepping aside from the $ dimension, I'll wager that I like my system just as much as you do yours.  The  'enhancement' that I pursue is quite different than cables, power conditioners, and other exotica (to me, anyway).  The enjoyment is in the pursuit, as it is for pretty much everyone who posts here.

And I'm at a point that even the DIY forums I've haunted can't really advise me much further than they have.  I thank all who have made observations and suggestions, but I'm now free to follow my muse.
And to apply what I've gleaned from there...and what I see here, reading between the lines...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tzf3FHO_Cx0

(wait for it....*S*  I like to work to this...)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ijd_iN9Blk

One of his more 'accessible' pieces....and a good woofer workout...;)