This sounds awfully familiar. What I did was calculate how much my next purchase was going to be (turned out to be about $3500), and then I used that money to go to concerts. If I had to fly & stay at a hotel to make it, it was part of the budget. I used the internet to find touring schedules and planned to catch top orchestras and my favorite singers as close by as possible.
After about 6 months, I'd been to 18 concerts, not including a summer concert series every week last August. By then I had spent the money. But I returned to my systems at home with a new appreciation and some new favorite singers/acts. Most fun I've ever had in this hobby. And I appreciated my home systems even more because I was focused more on the music, and a lot less on the sound. Doesn't mean I won't buy more stuff, but the recalibration of my ears sure helps me appreciate what I've got!
Hope this helps!
DF
After about 6 months, I'd been to 18 concerts, not including a summer concert series every week last August. By then I had spent the money. But I returned to my systems at home with a new appreciation and some new favorite singers/acts. Most fun I've ever had in this hobby. And I appreciated my home systems even more because I was focused more on the music, and a lot less on the sound. Doesn't mean I won't buy more stuff, but the recalibration of my ears sure helps me appreciate what I've got!
Hope this helps!
DF