On Tue, 23 Jul 2013 15:39:14 -0700, Higgs Boson wrote:

$645 seems like a LOT of money to me!
But what were my choices?

$100 to $300 in tools (which are amortized over jobs)
$100 to $200 for a camera (so you can ask good questions)
$100 in parts (but you get *good* parts for that price!)
$45/year for a USENET subscription to alt.home.repair
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$645