Thanks for sharing this great story :)

I guess I am pretty much in a similar position as you were in the beginning, spending a considerable (although not insanely high) amount of money on my "expensive hobby" as you say.

However, I feel as long as the process is fun and not only about making money, it is absolutely worth it.

I hope you can find something that brings back that part of photography - the "creative" part that made it so interesting in the first place.