How Do You Live The Audiophile Life

The advice to listen to live music frequently and critically is foundational.   The second observation I will make is that I learned more in the first 4 months of reading the audiogon forum than I learned in 40 years of reading the magazines and visiting brick and mortar stores.  The third observation is that no one "gets is right" at first.   So, buy used, and buy items that hold their resale value.  That allows you to gain a sense of what you like without spending a fortune.  Final advice is don't ignore gaining an understanding of acoustics.  Unless you get lucky, even the best  system won't approach near its potential without attention to the listening room. 

Develop your secrecy skills if you have a spouse. Always claim that a particular piece of equipment costs much less than you actually paid for it. Phrases like, "I got a great deal on Audiogon!" or "It was actually way less than I expected because I traded in my old piece!" work well -- whether you actually did such trading is immaterial.

Learn how much recognizability factor your spouse has in terms of any new equipment. Speakers are the most identifiable new component. However, new phono pre’s and DAC’s can be easily tucked away and blended in with other little metal boxes you have on your audio shelf. WARNING: Tube equipment with exposed tubes is highly recognizable! However, once you've established the presence of tubed equipment, upgrading and/or swapping out existing pieces for new ones becomes easier as long as it's not a radical new design.

Keep a record of how much your equipment is actually worth so, in the event your spouse outlives you, they won’t sell if for what you claimed to have paid for it.

You start when your 4 years old and marry the right woman.

mijostyn, for most folks I think it is probably easier, and certainly cheaper, to put together a great high end system, than to find the 'right' woman.
 
Try getting rid of a 'wrong' woman!  And no one wants to take them as trade in's. :-)