How does one get off the merry-go-round?

The first step is admitting that mega-buck cables are snake oil.

Whoaru99, how true! Price don't dictate a cable's compatability in ones system.

Play around and enjoy a bargain. I've just got on the merry-go-round, upgrading my Mission & Harman/Kardon kit to Spica & Adcom. Almost splurged on Martin Logans until I realized how good my new Spica TC-60s are. I'm thinking, though, that in the future it might be more fun to trade in speakers for others in the same price range or slightly above, just to experience a different set of characteristics and design decisions. I remember an article in Stereophile many years ago discussing just this approach. The reviewer said he'd rather spend his money consecutively owning several $1,000-$1,500 pairs of speakers (Spica, Thiel, Vandersteen) than splash out on something several times more expensive. His reasoning was that at about this price point, the law of diminishing returns kicks in hard, and each of the excellent speakers at this level offers its own unique set of pleasures. I figure I'll eventually top out at a used pair of Martin Logan Aeriuses for $1,200. But, I got an Adcom GFP-555, two Adcom GFA-5200s, a pair of Spica TC-60s and a Mission 700as subwoofer for a grand total of $1,000. Knowing I got 'em for beer money makes 'em sound better. I sit there thinking, "Well, the dynamics are a little compressed, and there's no top-end sparkle, but imaging is great, and for $1,000 this sounds GOOD!"

Intuitive Design Summits.

I am grateful to be able to read these posts and totally understand where each and everyone of you is coming from. As I read through these posts at one point or another I swear I could have written them all myself. This is a hobby, we do love music but oftentimes confuse this with power/equipment/status/acceptance...etc but in the end its still just you and your music.
I went through 2 cycles of upgrades /downgrades... THis is a crazy hobby but I love it.

To answer the question:
Not that I do this, but you could have your wife take over the bank account balancing. You could soon realize how foolish this silly hobby truly is ;)