Reading this thread, I'm lead to believe I might be the only single guy on this forum (if not the entire sport.) My one-time pay-in in the form of an AR, a reserve AR, a cheap shotgun and a glock comes in at about $4,000. Then the ammo I have burned through so far to attain at least a modicum of skill for a beginner...probably another $2,000. And somewhere between $500 and $1,000 in random gear. This was all in the last 6 months or so. It took me a long time to save up the funds for all of it, and I'm already feeling a sharp need to cull my ammo consumption. I fear that unless I either magically reduce my costs or magically increase my income, I might not be in the game all that long...