Reloading gear will pay for itself in short order.........how short depends on what you get and how much you shoot.
I started off quite a while ago with a C press requiring changing dies for every function. I used (and still do to an extent) Lee Dippers. I got a Lee hand primer for that chore. I was shooting .38/.357 and I shot quite a bit... at least a couple of boxes a month. I got a 9MM and dies and shot a few boxes of it a month on top. At that time I was getting powder, primers and bullets at the post Rod & Gun club so I was getting a deal and paying no tax.
When I got into highpower rifle, shooting an M1, I got dies for that and added an RCBS scale......the inexpensive one. I was shooting quite a bit of that on top of the pistols!
About 15 years ago, I finally got one of the first generation Lee Turret presses and still use it. I was using dippers until the beginning of this winter when I broke down and got a Lee powder measure. Its accurate enough for my pistols. I've thought about adding an auto-indexer, primer feed, and thru the die powder measure, but even with manually switching the turret back and forth I save a lot of time over that old C press I bought at Gibson's in Killeen Tx.!
A box of 50 pistol, from start to finish, total time (I work in stages) takes me maybe half an hour after all the fiddle farting around, spot checking powder levels, overall length etc.
I've always been cost conscious so I get things on sale, used, Ebay, what have you......no carbide dies here........are you ready for this........................I lube with olive oil..............after cleaning the cases, I put them in a plastic pan and spray them with olive oil using one of those pump up olive oil spray cans. It mists them ever so slightly and the progression of cases thru the sizing die keeps it lubed up fine. After bullet seating, I simply take a clean rag and wipe them off......never have a problem. Its non-toxic and as far as I can tell has no effect on any components or loading equipment.
I can still load 9MM for $6.50 a box and my .45 Colt runs about $7.50 using Unique. Thats a hell of a lot better than $15 and $25 off the shelf! For match loads for my Garand I'd still use the dippers....IMR....Nosler 168 gr bthp match bullets. 50-60 rds for a match by hand is ok by me.
The moral of the story is you don't have to have a nuclear powered self loading, automatic, wire guided Dillon Super Power Press with power steering and air to make very useable loads and save
HEAPS of money