Can't find better comparison than IPSC vs. Whores.........
Here is the cost outline
Price of Restricted PAL per year 20$
IPSC membership 60$
5 level-1 matches per year 50$
3 Level-2 matches per year 75$
1 Level-3 match per year 100$
4000 rds of 9mm for practice and matches ( 11 $/box, 220 $ per 1000) 880 $
2000 rds of 40 SW per year ( 15 $/box, 300 $ per 1000 ) 600 $
Gasoline for transport ( if competing within S, SW Ontario), ( assume a car drinks 10 lit/100 km and 1$/litter, therefore 1 lit/ 10km, so 5000 km = 500 litters of fuel, now since a lot of people have gas guzzlers pickups and SUVs, take 1.5 of the ammount) 750 litter = 750 $
Nights in motel/hotel 5 nights x 100$ =500$
Spare parts, barrels, new equipment 1000$
TOTAL cost of IPSC: 4035 $
Now cost of whores: For the cost of IPSC per year, you can get this many hours of "fun" with "healthy", I guess trained, hit-or-miss good looking, young I guess escort ( aka whore): 4035 / 250 $ per hour = 16 hours of f.... with unknown woman of un-verified health history.
With this price break-down I would rather go with IPSC and rely on ####.
I am sure anybody with decent living standards will agree that 16 hours of ### per year is a joke.
Why compare IPSC to whores ? Because according to the research of hobby habits, it is well established that most of middle aged males, prefer to spend their free time in strip-bars and escort parlours. Therefore this is where excess of their income goes.
When I say whores I don't count so called street girls, cause no average intelligent guy would pick those up.
If you do comparison of IPSC vs golfing, you will draw the same cost outline. Of other hobbies rocketry, aircraft modelling, plane flying is way more expensive ( order of 10-20 k$ per year).
Wanna cheap hobby, play hockey.
Wanna cheap shooting sport, get 0.22 LR pistol/rifle and stick to it.
PS....... "real" girlfriends are more expensive than whores, particularly when lawyers get involved. But that's for another discussion.