Nah, it's the internet.
Good perspective, glad I didn't sound negative or critical. I'm a beginner so have patience guys!
Deciding how much is "ok" or "too much" or "not enough" ultimately comes down to two things: one's resources and one's values.
I'm an empty-nester, so things I can handle resource-wise today would have been out of the question 15 years ago. I get that younger brewers, those with children or in exceptional circumstances, must be more...frugal, I suppose is the right word. I get it, been there, still have the skills if I need them.
We all tend to judge others' choices by our own, and sometimes can find them fantastic in relation to our own. Nobody lives like a monk with the most ascetic lifestyle possible. Thus it's all a matter of degree.
Have a large SUV? Why not a smaller, more fuel efficient car? For that matter, why not move close enough to work to so you can bicycle? Or even walk?
Where do we draw the line? It's tough to judge others without knowing all of their life circumstances. I was criticized by someone here since I have a 4 1/2 minute commute by car and could bike to work. But....I perspire. Always been that way. I can't bike and expect to show up to work "fresh as a flower." So I won't.
That said, others have more than an hour commute here. Why am I criticized for living close enough so the gasoline I burn each day (small car--Ford Focus) is far less than those who choose to live far away and burn much, much more gasoline each day than I do?
It never ends. That's why I'm not critical--usually
--of the choices people make here. They're balancing wants, needs, competing needs for money, their values, the perceived value of efficiency as opposed to money spent....all that stuff.
We all get to make our choices. Then we get to live with the results. And that, in my opinion, is how it should be.