I'm a notorious cheapskate, especially for discretionary spending like this hobby. So over the last 6 years of doing the hobby, I've found where one can save money and where one shouldn't. If a guy really needs to do the hobby on the cheap, used airframes are going for practically give away prices. Used engines go for about half of retail, less if they are banged up. It's rare in my experience that engines wear our or go bad aside from being gummed up with castor after a few years. At the worst, they'll need $8 worth of bearings. So those two items can take a lot of the sting out of the hobby. Big lots of used servos come up for sale sometimes, and with thorough testing can be trusted just fine. Field equipment can be a great buy from someone getting out of the hobby, although that doesn't come up just all the time. Sometimes though a field box will come up for sale, usually with several planes and engines in a lot, and will have everything you need. I'm a bit more iffy on radios and receivers simply because there can be intermittent problems and some guys will sell them off instead of getting them fixed. I'd buy one if I trusted the seller, preferably one that is currently in service. Understand though that a used radio often needs a new battery, and that will set you back $30-$40 for a quality one. The absolute best buys you can make are to catch someone getting out of the hobby who has a lot of stuff and make a low offer on the whole lot. It helps when you're willing to come pick it all up and, of course, have cash on hand. Stuff is always worth more individually than in a lot, so if you buy it all and sell off the things you don't need you can have a stock of equipment very cheaply.