I wrestled with this for a while about 8 months ago. I don't know about your financial situation, but at the time I was running good and decided to go all out and buy a capresso C1300. This is a super automatic espresso machine. I do nothign except fill beans and water. Every few days I empty out all the used coffee. Every few weeks I replace the filter, every few months I drop a tablet in that cleans the machine. When I say I do this, I do that, I mean, I push one button and the machine does the rest by itself. This thing is the nuts. I drink alot of coffee though, I don't know how crazy you are about it. I also don't make that many cappucino's and lattes, most of the time I just drink espresso or have an americano. A few times a week I do make lattes for others, and it is extremely easy. The whole process is extremely easy. If you don't want to get a capresso, I still recommend getting a super automatic, much easier then manual machines. I'd also check out
www.wholelattelove.com they have a lot of useful info. PM me if you have any other questions.