Ya I spent a couple hundred on my first setup, only to have it collecting dust right now
Hydro setups are real good, if you want to put it the effort, by effort I mean: Changing res, keeping pH perfect, Keeping nutes in check, avoiding algae. It's really not all that bad once you get the hang of it. I guess I never did tho
I like my organic soil. The slow releasing nutes, allow me to hold off on the extra nutes, till about flowering, or a little before depending on how long I veg. I find soil to be easier, and more layed back. What you get is what you put in tho
Remember this is just my opinion