Water changes can be a pain yes, but so worth it when you know the benefits. It will help your entire tank in almost every aspect. Takes out the bad, puts in the good, to be vague. I run an old school eshops overflow with an aqua lifter to pull the air out, and run an extended hose out to my sink. As I pump new water in, it flows the old water out. I do siphon sand every once in a while and obviously this won't work for that but if you look at your setup, make it work for you.
On a side note, having a tank on "your own budget" is something you will have to figure out. My 220 gallon system has around 3500 invested into it there is def room for improvement and upgrades. It's a very very expensive hobby that takes a long time to establish into these beautiful reefs you see pictures of.