...or maybe even buy beyond your means and you will never regret it!
And I thought only Americans thought this way!
Another thing about high prices then and now...I tried really hard to put my collection together without using household finances. I wrench on the side and used that money. Sometimes finding another revenue stream can help.
Secondly, me and a partner bought and flipped a lot of petro items to pay for the stuff we wanted for ourselves. You can make escalating prices work for you when you develop a method and network of buying and selling what you love.