Back in 88, our college band broke up, and it was time for me to pay for our TOA MX106 Mixer and 2 speakers. Except that when we plugged it in last, it didn't work - the sound was faint, and we figured it was broken. The other guys asked for $25 each, or $75. I paid them, and then the next fall (my senior year) took it to the local music store to see if they could fix it. 2 speaker cables later... good vocal PA. (Guitar/instrument cables don't work so well between power amps and speakers...)
So I became the band member with the PA after it, and it meant I'd care about our sound. And slowly over the past years it's been a slow investment. Guitars and amps are what I'd rather spend money on, but now that I have what I need, willing to improve our bar gig PA slightly every year.