Do not let the ease of beginning decide the whole cost of continuing.

Beginnings are priced low on purpose. The first month is free, the setup takes an afternoon, the first commitment is small, and none of that tells you what the fifth year will ask. Cost usually arrives later and in another shape: maintenance, obligation, the slow accumulation of small demands. Ease of entry is information about entry only.

Before starting something new, ask what it requires at its most demanding rather than its easiest. Look at somebody five years in and use their week as your estimate.