I'm impressed as well! I did the same as a kid, I earned my allowance, and I saved it. Once I even got a discount from some little gift shop near my house because they were impressed that a 8 year old kid saved her allowance long enough to buy a genuine Limoges box (around $400 if I remember correctly). It was a dolphin, of course, my love for fish and marine life started early. Still have it, too. When I got my first fish tank it was a gift, but after that I bought everything I needed or wanted for it with my own money. It's good practice for being out in the real world!
My boyfriend doesn't mind the time I spend on the forum or working with my fish. He loves that I know as much as I do about fish and he really enjoys seeing how happy they make me. I think he likes that he's picking up some information at the same time. It's funny, all three of us have various hobbies and can very easily say things that just absolutely lose everyone else. For me, it's talking fish and equipment, for my boyfriend it's music, and for our roommate it's computers and gaming. Well, I can usually keep up with most of the gaming talk.