We all have a different line in the sand of what is worth it and what is "no way that's too much." Sometimes it has to do with actual budget as in "I cant afford that" or maybe it's "I can afford it but can't justify it to myself" and other times its about "I can afford it I want it it dosen't bother me to spend for it.". My machine is a good quality brand at a decent price I could afford in cash and justify to myself knowing I would never regret spending that money on it. I drooled over one almost 3 times as much but just could not justify it to myself. I do not like buying things on credit and I would have had to in order to buy the other machine. But that's me and my husbands choice in the way we do things it works for us. FYI I do not regret my decision but I still drool over that machine every time I go in there.
However when it comes to fabric I love to buy good quality if I can get it on sale then awesome if not but its what I want I'll pay 7.50 9.00 or even 12.00a yard and won't blink an eye. where others would never dream of paying those prices no matter how perfect the fabric is, for the same reasons stated above. Do I buy less if I'm paying the higher prices? Oh absolutly but I made a conscience decision to spend that part of my budget on less fabric.
Everybody has a budget and we all decided where we are comfortable allocating the bulk of our "fun" money. Is it the fancy pants machine, or the fabric? Is it the sewing room itself or the furniture in it? Is it a boat or a travel trailor?
Its almost impossible to understand someone else's reasons for what they buy and at what cost just because it's not worth it to me or you dosen't mean it's not to them.