[wodenokoto]

That is not my impression at all.

All the chefs I know go out to eat way more than anyone else I know (don't know any bakers, though). Graphic designers I know, buy art and graphic designs (don't know any jewelers, either). Musician friends buy tons of records and tickets to live shows, friends who brew, buy more beer than friends who don't brew.

[Spivak]

Software is a fun field where the people who make it want to consume as little of it as possible.

[novok]

You hit the point on the head. The chefs might go out of their way to buy their direct product (consumer software, like games or hardware, like ipads) but would not buy a shit ton of kitchen pots beyond the basics.

I have a family member who's a young musician, and he says musicians don't really care about audiophile grade speakers or headphones really.

[DistressedDrone]

I can't deny that this is plausible (in general I mean, not just your specific experience). So what makes our professions so different?

[randomdata]

I imagine people who like to make things but don't like to spend money are attracted to software in particular because it is one of the few things that one can make with very little investment. Many of us may have found different loves if other hobbies weren't so expensive. This, perhaps, biases the type of person you find in the profession.

[deviantfero]

You can make unlimited copies of software would be my first guess