Lab Expense: Is it Overkill?

A lot of people like to know how much labs cost and the regular price for lab equipment (I exclusively use ebay). Here is a breakdown of what I have spent on my lab so far in the order that I purchased it.

Device:                                                                                 Price (Excluding Shipping):
Cisco 2821 (256D/256F).........................................266.68
Cisco Catalyst 3750-48TS.......................................398.98
Ohm 4 Post 37U Rack............................................193.00
Cisco WIC-2T........................................................32.00
Cisco WIC-2T........................................................32.95
Cisco 2821 (512D/256F)  1-CSU/DSU-T1 incl............250.00
1FT Smart Serial Cable DCE/DTE...........................7.99
Cisco 2851 (768D/512F).........................................270.00
3 FT Smart Serial Cable (DCE/DTE).......................9.99
Cisco WIC-2T........................................................30.00
Cisco Catalyst 3750-48TS.......................................278.00
10PK 7ft CAT6 Patch Cables (Blue).........................26.99
10PK 7ft CAT6 Patch Cables(Green).......................26.99
*Total (Cisco)...................................................... 1823.57 (To Date)

My enterprise-level Vyatta Linux  internet router is a completely different story and irrelevant to Cisco, but fun to build. To some this lab may seem like overkill because the standard equipment usually includes Routers like 1721s, 2500s, 2600s and Switches like 2950s and 3550s. The short answer to me is that I wanted to future-proof my lab. I wanted to be able to start building a rack that would take me through multiple certifications including CCNA, CCNA Voice, CCNP, and (I hope I'm not being overly-ambitious here), CCIE. So excess was an order in my case. I chose 3750s because from MY experience (I work with primarily 3560, 2960, and 4500 series at work) the 3750 is virtually the same as the 3560 (which is suggested for Cisco studies but expensive) other than the stackable options. For whatever reason, the 3560 (on ebay) is a good bit more expensive than the 3750, maybe because of popularity. I chose 2800 series routers because of their extensive voice capabilities since after CCNA I plan on trying to get into voice and unified communications.

Another vital part to my lab is my wife. Without getting too personal, my wife is very supportive of my Cisco/technology studies as I am of her career and anything she ventures into. We have no children right now and we are fortunate to live relatively comfortably. We agree on all purchases and I've been working on this lab for about 7 to 8 months, so the key is budgeting. Plus I am investing in my future and my family's and having plenty of fun doing it. Though you may not agree with or purchase the same model devices as me, PLEASE MAKE SURE TO RESEARCH WHAT MODEL DEVICES TO BUY if you're going after your exams.

ALSO, I am aware that all of the switches I have purchased so far do not support POE which is not necessarily ideal for IP  Phones. That is true BUT they do support LLDP and VoIP and POE switches (even on ebay) are just more than I am willing to pay. Switches are expensive enough in comparison to routers so I'll be purchasing some power-strips and bricks (power adapters) for the IP Phones when it's time for voice.