I have saved about £1500 from purchasing nearly perfect but used gear of fellow BC'ers.
This time last year I was playing bass through a 15w practice (Guitar) amp.
Tommorrow evening I will be using the gear in my sig to play pub rock in a medium sized local club with a drummer, 2x guitarists, and a vocalist, using a confidence aquired by reading threads on here. I am far from competent, but having a blast.