I see so many YouTube "gardeners" promoting the galvanized raised beds and I always wonder how many new gardeners think they're a necessity? Not that these beds are necessarily bad, but they are expensive and must be filled with soil. Of course a permie would use what's available to fill those beds but it would take several dollars of bagged soil. Also buying transplants and seeds contributes to the expense though the produce will be of a much better quality.
Last year I spent many, many hours in my gardens and expanding one to include berries and perennial edibles. If I figured in my time and labor, it probably wouldn't be worth it on paper, but we're still eating stuff I harvested and preserved last year. My produce purchases are usually cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and carrots and that's simply because I either haven't made a storage area or in the case of carrots, I just haven't tried growing them. The process of growing and experimenting makes it worthwhile. Plus there's the knowledge that I grabbed at least one fresh strawberry just about every morning from May until late October and the store bought ones just don't compare. Plus gardening and improving my property is therapeutic, so if I factor in the cost of a weekly session with a therapist, it definitely is worth it.
Would it be easier to go back to work and earn the money to buy produce? Hell no! I left that life behind during the pandemic and my mental and physical health greatly improved. Plus I get to spend time with my daughter and hopefully influence her outlook on growing.
I've been growing food for as long as I can remember and there's always failures and room for improvement. Last year I had what I thought was a mild sprain and I'm still dealing with the effects, but it changed the way I do things. So in a way I'm also working smarter and not harder.
I love the GAMCOD concept as I think society has programmed us into thinking we need expensive machinery and chemical fertilizers in order to have a successful harvest, when in fact out ancestors survived many centuries without it.