Three things come into convergence here that help keep the total down.

1. Craigslist and eBay are a great source and I rely on them for deals.

2. I am a REALLY good negotiator. (You could also say I am extremely stubborn, which would be extremely accurate.)

3. I am cheap. I am so tight with money I squeak. I skimp on everything other than care for my dog and music. I don't do ANY unnecessary driving to save on gas money, I haven't been to a movie in 12 years, I don't buy anything I won't use, and have started clearing out stuff that I don't, turning it into cash.

So, given that.... let me try.

Keyboards:
Ensoniq EPS16+ $200
Ensoniq ESQ-1 $150 (plus $100 for a new battery and OS chips)
Ensoniq SQ-1 $100
Ensoniq TS-10 $700 (LONG ago when it was fairly in vogue)
Ensoniq VFX $200
Ensoniq KS-32 $200
3 tier stand $50 on craigslist
2 tier stand $35 on craigslist

Guitars:
Strat $300
Tele $300
Ibanez Gio $80 (used at Guitar Center)
Applause acoustic $129
Ibanez bass $50 (pawn shop find)
Cheap Chinese Double neck lap guitar $100 on eBay (never used it)
Line 6 150 w 2x12 amp $150

Horns:
King Alto $110 on eBay, $28 repair
Bari $850 on craigslist, $300 in repairs

Mixers:
Mackie 16 channel $150
Peavey 12 channel $70

Various stuff:
Wharfedale near field monitors $119 each
2 Shure 58s, about $75 each
1 Shure 57 - bought it in 1984 (STILL like new!) and don't remember
1 MXL 992 condenser mic $39
M-Audio interface $200 (new about 3 years ago)
4 Alesis digital reverbs $125 total from various sources
Digitech rack mount vocoder $39
MX-8 midi patch bay $25
24 point patch bay $10
Behringer Dual 31 band EQ $100
Furman power conditioner $75
Roland TR 707 drum machine $75
44 space rolling server rack $95
Yamaha FB-01 sound module $200 (bought it brand new in the 80s!)
Roland MT-32 sound module $25

Then stands, cables, etc.... whatever that all cost. My 8 guitar stand and all the computer desks and stuff I built.

I also have a live rack with a Korg 6 channel keyboard mixer, a Korg 6 channel rack mount EQ, 1 of the Alesis midiverb units, and a 100w per side amp, in an 8 space rack. The mixer and EQ were purchased in the late 80s and I have no idea what I paid. The amp I paid about $50 for.

For the band's rehearsal hall I have that Peavey mixer, one of the Alesis reverb units, 1 of the 31 band EQs and a 450w per side amp driving Yamaha PA speakers. That stuff fills a 12 space table top rack. Again mostly old stuff and I don't remember the cost. I played through those Yamaha speakers in 1990-94. Then they sat for years as I was dormant. Got to say something about product quality back then that 20 years later they still even work much less still sound good.

I can't even COUNT how much stuff I sold. A Cornet, an alto, a flute, a cheap soprano, 3 lower end electric guitars, one acoustic, various rack pieces (remember the climb up MOTU Mountain?).....

Quite a journey. Also not that almost everything that is eBay or craigslist was procured at 75-80% of what the list price was. Many of the pieces have stories that are another story.

I am using the new 1040XTRAEZ form this year. It has just 2 lines.

1. How much did you make in 2023?
2. Send it to us.