2 years later, I find myself not evolving much. I still do biab in the kitchen (though my batch sizes are larger), water comes straight from the faucet, sugar cubes in the bottles, etc. My investment is certainly minimal unless you ask my wife.
That being said, I don't think making beer needs be as difficult as some make it out to be. Present company included
I feel I often make commercial quality all grain beer (which is better than many breweries can say) so I'll keep a pretty basic system for the foreseeable future.