I justify my hobbies in a similar way to Wofarza - my two biggest hobbies (please try to appreciate the dichotomy here) are Bird Watching and Turkey Hunting. Both have one time purchases to get the gear and then the resto of the hobby is free - if you don't put a cost on "time spent".

I, too, used to drop cash on items without hesitation until the kids got older and we were conciously saving for retirement and college. Now, those $300 decisions are much more debated than ever before......

"A fanatic is someone who can't change his mind and won't change the subject" Churchill