ah well, to give you a idea im just a uni student and all my gear has been accumulated over the last 3 years.
I started out with.
10" dobsonian
Then I got the mount later and so went forth my little journey till what i have today which is a full on astro-graph.
I guess what im saying is that although SWMBO might baulk at the initial outlay which really isn't that much once you start using it and if you really have a passion for it not just a fleeting fad then they are normally quite supportive because your out of trouble and it can be a family event
.
I think I calculated everything up and came to a rough estimate including my laptops cameras mount scope and im sitting about the 6k mark total thats over 3 years.