[Vivid-Dawn]

I spent about $150 on my set-up... that included buying the tank. I also got the name-brand water conditioners, medicine, gravel, plants (both live and plastic), decorations, light/hood, aerator, filter, heater, breeding net (since I have guppies, and I knew they'd breed all the time). I also didn't buy stuff that was the cheapest... not the most expensive either, but kinda "decent".
I've had my fish for 4 months, and I haven't gotten bored of them. In fact... I want to set up a real breeding set-up and try my hand at getting guppies to eventually show at contests and stuff. That'll take a couple years, though. Then I got to thinking I might want to do a saltwater tank, too.
On the other hand... my husband got his tank all going, and now hardly even watches his fish. He'll feed them, watch them for about five minutes, then ignore them until the next day (he only feeds them in the morning, before work).
I suppose it depends on your personality.