"how did you get so many tools? You must have a lot of money. You must be very lucky. (etc)"

While chance plays a part in everyone's life, you can improve upon pure dumb luck by being proactive, and by networking.

If you are by nature a solitary soul or introvert who just doesn't socialize with others, that is understandable (my wife is an introvert) but it does cut down on your chances of scoring big ticket items on the cheap.

I was able to buy my mill for only $1,400 (plus $200 for riggers to transport and move it) because I had a good friend who owns a machine shop, and when he chose to sell his most beat-up Bridgeport to make room for a CNC machine, he thought of me first, and he sold it to me for between half and a third of what he could have got from a regular buyer or a used machine dealer.  The same beat-up old (1970s) machine from someone else would have cost me $4,000.  Brand new, they are $16,000 or more.

I am not wealthy nor am I good at saving money; I don't always have money like that burning a hole in my pocket, but when my buddy decided to sell his mill, I just happened to have it in savings.  And that's another lesson: if you don't have a bit of savings lying around, you can't take advantage of terrific deals on those very rare occasions when they do come along.  I have missed far more great deals than I have scored because great deals came my way when I was broke.

As for cheaper tools, my personal rule of thumb has always been this: if I needed to rent or borrow something more than once every two years, I went ahead and bought it.

When you are just starting out, set aside a small budget, perhaps $10 a month if that's what you can afford.  And if that means saving for five months in order to buy a $50 item, so be it.  Consider buying used, since many simple hand tools either don't wear out easily, or can be repaired cheaply (ie; a new handle for a good hammer, dressing the edges of a cold chisel on a grinder, etc)

Haunt used tool stores and learn - whether from books, or YouTube, or old-timers like me - how to recognize quality items when you stumble across them.  Beware of flea markets, most of the tools you will find there are stolen.

Garage sales can also be a good place to find good deals.  On rare occasions, I've even found good deals at pawn shops, but usually they know what they've got and they price it accordingly.

Join clubs or groups that do what you're interested in, so you can trade with other people who do the same stuff you do.  Put yourself out there, make sure your circle of friends knows what kinds of things you are currently looking for so if they see one they will think of you.