ITT we can groan about the bad parts of being a musician.
I fucking hate how incestuous this city is with its shows. I also hate shows. I don't really have a lot of fun when I go to them, and it's such a fucking pain dealing with gear when we get booked. Did I mention how expensive shit is? Oh yeah let me bust out $10k of gear to play an opening slot on a Tuesday night at a shitty bar. Yeah right fuck off.
Sometimes you can find good deals on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. The former is a little bit less scammy than the latter.
I've been looking into DIYing stuff like pedals, and trying to repair an old piece of shit guitar I bought like twenty years ago, but the neck is fucked and I can't find a decent neck for under $300, so I hear you.