Noobie here, been planting the seed with my wife that I want a pinball machine for a while. Then one day she starts asking me a bunch of questions about the hobby. A big question was what do they cost. I explained what a new one goes for (Me: "for about 5-6" Her: "hundred? Thats not bad" Me: "no Thousand", Her: "WHATTT????"). then told her what A++ titles like MM and AFM go for. Then I explained what a reasonably priced B title goes for. She then agreed that I could get one and gave me the ok to spend much more on a machine than I would have ever expected or asked for. There are certain criteria that we as a FAMILY need to meet, but I will get one soon and it will not have a negative effect on my family because we made the decision together.
Be careful not to assume you wife will not be supportive of the hobby, I painted my wife in my mind as someone who would never support this hobby and she has been great about it.
I do look forward to hearing more tips from the vets!