[Omaroo (Chris Malikoff)]

I think that Marc just hit on something in his reply. "I have other interests".

I, probably like you Alex, consider astronomy one of my main interests in life. In this regard we are different, in a way, to those here who have stated that it's not as important to them which is one of the reasons why they don't or won't borrow on their hobbies. With all due respect to them, their priorities are undoubtedly different. I don't think for a minute that they're saying "don't" to you, they're just saying that they themselves wouldn't. One "priority" that a friend of mine has is improving their back yard. They spend thousands on the right pergola, lawns and garden. They also spend huge amounts on interior decoration. To me - what a complete waste of money, time and effort. They can't understand why I'd spend $20k on a mount.

I am usually willing to stretch both the budget and borrowings a fair bit to pursue this stuff. My hobbies (several) are incredibly important to me. They keep me sane and provide me with enormous enjoyment and release. I see absolutely nothing wrong with it if you can comfortably afford the repayments without compromising your living standards. I recently lost a wife - you've never had one. It's a great time to do it if you ever are. I have no family so I don't have to provide for them now or in the future. Would I rather the family? Yes, I would, but that didn't happen. I'm lucky to have a pretty reasonable salary, so maybe my situation is different to yours... although you never know what's around the corner tomorrow. Until I sort out my own finances, after the breakup, I'm on hold for a little while. It won't last forever. It's a bit of a lottery, so be willing to accept what comes if it all goes end up.

You can tie yourself down to a safety net for just so much of your life. How damn boring. Enjoy it while you have it and can afford it. You can't be living if you're scared of consequence. Just don't bank on being able to turn it all into liquid assets when required. If you can live with that then it's up to you - entirely. As far as borrowings on your "astro" house go, remember you're paying off your mortgage for 25 years or so. Maybe separate the loans and pay off the house and obs via a mortgage and instruments as quickly as you can on another. A low interest rate per annum on a mortgage is great, so just remember that there are a lot of "annums" and your gear will constantly devalue over time.