Most of us only have so many hours in a day (and so many hours in a tide) to fish, so I like to be as effective as I can within that time.
A lot of my purchasing through the years has been driven by efficiency, both when I was a kid fishing freshwater and now that I'm a little older in the salt. I don't want to clean my reels, so I have Van Staals. I hate patching my waders, so I buy whatever I feel is the most durable. Then I bought a wetsuit so I didn't have to worry about leaks.
Easy to sharpen hooks, long lasting hook files, durable plug bags. And so on and so on.
For the past year or so I haven't wanted or needed to spend as much. I definitely hit a plateau or a spot where the gear I own is working for me rather then against me, or at least not slowing me down. If something new comes out there's a good chance I'll try it, but for the time being my purchases are mostly hooks, split rings, Fireline, and Power Pro.
This doesn't really answer the question as to whether you're jaded, smarter, or just poor, but it is why I don't find myself spending as much lately. I would imagine it applies to a lot of other people too; a lot of purchases I see at the shop are to solve a problem, whatever it may be.