I too feel the pain of starting a project possibly because someone feels they can do something for cheaper than a retail version. When pricing all of the components, this often looks to be the case. Oh how many times have I then had to buy things a second time or decide something else is needed once elbow deep into the project and many weekends later. If everything was calculated to include the amount of time invested, it would have been so much easier to just buy the thing. But something about pride or some such just won't allow that to happen. We could wax poetically about the act of accomplishment and the self learning blah blah, but it's pride.

Edit: Just wanted to add the relevant quote: "My only regret is that you can’t power the raspberry from frustration, because my levels are lately spiking so high, that I am continually wondering why isn’t reality bending around my hate."