I love hobbies. They’re fun, fulfilling, and sometimes you can even learn something from them. But there’s a dark side to them as well - namely, not all hobbies are easy to get into. Imagine you’re a newbie to some hobby. You ask the world a simple question - “What do I need to get started?” In my experience, the answers you’ll get back can be summed up as follows:
You’re going to need This, That, and the Other Thing at the very least. All told, it will only cost you around <insert price that’s somewhere between $200 and $3000, and is only achievable if you buy everything off of Ebay and Craigslist, otherwise it will cost double>.
I’d also recommend a Thingamabob, though as a beginner you might be able to do without it. I get one from my local specialty store for cheap, and I’m going to assume you have exactly this kind of store in your neighborhood, despite the fact that I have no idea where you leave.
Lastly, please do not cheap out and get something of lesser quality. You will *not* have a good experience, and you will never come to genuinely appreciate the hobby. If you’re going to do it, do it right or don’t bother.
This kind of response drives me up the wall. It assumes that everyone lives in the same place and has access to the same resources. It fails to understand that newbies are reluctant to drop a lot of money on something they aren’t even sure they’ll stick with (mostly because the person giving the advice fails to understand that someone might find the prices they quote to be expensive).