The only piece of software I can recall buying is Myst, took awhile for me to save up that cash with just my allowance. Seem to recall it cost $56 in 1993 dollars, that was a great deal of money to a 14 year old in 1993. Adjusting for inflation, you can probably can buy a cheap android tablet and Myst and still have enough left over for the sequels and a pizza.

FOSS covers most of my needs and when it doesn't, I just hack something together. Even as a humanities sort and inept programmer, I can generally manage something which will meet my needs and not only do I own it, I made it. Having this sort of mentality has an interesting side effect, most of what can be bought is always less than and not only because it not something I made but because what can be bought is never quit right for my needs. So the compromise of FOSS becomes less of an issue (even with GIMP) and in those times when it becomes an issue, I make do by hacking up a FOSS offering or building from the ground up.

Admittedly, working around the seg faults that I can't seem to fix is a compromise, but it is a small one and preferable to the alternatives.