Rhetorical question...
I just think it is funny that last year I broke out my 3 year old, barely ridden dept store comfort bike and started riding. Over the course of the summer I made exactly 3 purchases: a bottle cage (I thought I was so crafty for "installing" it myself), a helmet (required for a charity ride i wanted to do) and a small bag to fit under the seat (that barely held my keys and cell phone).
This February, I decided to upgrade and bought a Trek 7.5 FX. So far, I have purchased: a new seat (oh, it's called a Saddle??), multiple pairs of bike shorts (trial and error), chamois butt'r (ohhh, it really DOES help!), new bottle cages (well, they had to match the new bike, right?), cycle computer (necessary to confirm that I actually am still moving when going up hills), bigger bike bag, spare tube and flat kit (to fit in afore mentioned bike bag), pump (finally figured out how to use correctly), gloves (2 pairs, 1 full, 1 half), electrolyte gel thingys (not sure if these really help, but now convinced I need them), bike lock (have yet to use it though)....I'm sure there is more, but you get the picture. THe scary part is that I am already thinking I want a new road bike!!!
I am hooked! And thanks to everyone on TE for such great info, this site has helped me a lot this year!