It’s not that bad. I have a 20x40 inground pool. Aside from the **itshow that was me trying to saving money by handling the construction logistics myself (scheduling the electricians, inspectors,construction,etc.) Actual upkeep cost hasn’t been terrible. I spend about $1100 per season in chemicals (I use Baquacil), and I have automatic cleaner that you just throw it in, and about 5-7 hours later the pool is clean. If I went to chlorine I could cut my chemical costs by about 1/3rd. But Baqucil doesn’t seem to be as affected by high temperatures and the amount of use. Basically just put in the weekly doseage and everything seems to work fine. With chlorine you need to keep a closer eye on it, hot summer weather will deplete it faster, having a lot of people in the pool will deplete it faster, and you have make sure you don’t over-stabilize it as if you do that chlorine becomes less effective.
I have found over the years that keeping it balanced and covered when not in use cuts down dramatically on upkeep costs. Staying on top of it in hot weather is key to avoiding huge swings in chemistry. The solar cover also cuts down on evaporation significantly so not having to add water reduces chemical demands. I have a smaller pool of about 15k gallons and it only costs me about $200/year to maintain with this approach.
Yeah, see, for me that’s crazy. But then I live in a state where I’d only get to use it maybe 5 months a year, if I’m lucky, so the breakdown would be a little over $200 per month. I spend around $100 a year keeping my hot tub treated, and use it year-round. I’m also lucky that it’s under a roof and a spa cover, so there’s no sunlight to screw things up and make me have to use more chemicals. 
I do wish it had an autochlorination system though. It’s kind of annoying when I leave town for more than a week and come back to hazy water because our niece uses it all week and doesn’t bother to put any chlorine in.
The only benefit of being able to use a lift whenever you want to is when a relative owns it and you get to use it for free !!!
My son bought one of those monsters that raises a car about 3ft off the ground. When not in use he simply runs his car over the lift to park his car in the garage. I have used it many times to rotate tires or do some work that is to uncomfortable to creep under the car that is held up by jacks only 20some inches of the ground. The additional clearance of 15-16 inches make a huge difference when working for longer periods under a car. More often than not, you wish you had all four tires off the ground to work under a car. That’s almost impossible using only jacks. I like his setup … and it’s free to use for me. 
It’s not impossible but it is foolish. I have two jacks but something like 12 jackstands of various sizes and capabilities. I have had cars and trucks up on 4 jackstands up to 3 feet off the floor for even months on end to do major restoration work. It only takes 10-15 minutes to achieve so not a huge hassle. But a 4 post lift is another level altogether and can raise it high enough to almost walk upright underneath unless you’re Amazonian sized 
You’re right that the best deal is to have free access to someone else’s setup!
Here is another approach to working on the underside of s car. One friend and colleague did extensive work in s third world country. He was smart enough to study what the residents of that country drove so he bought the common car that was in use in the country–a Citroen 2CV. However, another person on the contract team brought a Mercedes into the country. When the Mercedes needed some exhaust work, the local mechanics had the Mercedes tipped over on its side.