I guess to some I'd be considered spoiled. I have my Pfaff that I bought on layaway in 1990 for $1500...tons of money for a single mom of 2 at that time, but I worked and paid on it until it was mine and I could bring it home. I still wouldn't trade that machine for anything and use it constantly for most things.
Fast forward 30 years... I wanted a small embroidery machine to make 1" letters for some purses and was happy to consider the small Brother embroidery machines. My husband of not too many years went into the local sewing machine shop several times without me knowing it and looked them over before I went in. I had decided on the low end one on the right and he kept walking to the high end one on the left...we left with his choice of machines a Brother 2800 D for around $4,500 by the time he got done with threads and stablizers. He actually used it more at first than I did.
The next year he decided if I was going to piece the quilt tops, then he wanted them to be entirely made by me and insisted we needed a long arm...again going into the shop for information about the Pfaff Grand Quilter 18. I kicked and hollered that I didn't need a machine like that and he thought otherwise. It now sits in our remodeled sewing area after taking up the front room for over a year.
This spring he saw the sales on the new Brother machines and really thought we needed the bigger hoop area (the one we had was 6x10 max) so we traded the 2800D in and got a Quattro 2 upgrade.
Never ever ever would I have dreamed we'd spent over $15,000 on sewing machines let alone spend it within 4 years.
We don't justify it to anyone...our kids are grown, we both work at full time jobs and enjoy using all of the machines. Would a cheaper one work? Yes but if he wants to invest in machines he enjoys then that's a choice I can leave with.
All I'd like is for everyone to be happy with the machines they have and be happy that others have the ones they have also.