Originally posted by GUB I think a $1000 a decade is what he is trying to avoid
I really don't consider that to be a great cost, to keep the most current and updated software for my needs.
Prior to CC, I was paying full program cost initially, plus any update costs when they became applicable, for both Lightroom and Photoshop, which worked out substantially more than $1000 for the same 10 year period.
And prior to that... it was film and all the associated development costs of that, again substantially more than $1000 for the same 10 year period.
I guess it all depends at the end of the day what your photography means to you and what you need to get the job done.
For me that's the industry standard Adobe software, no rights or wrongs, just what works for me.