First a confession. Though I love astronomy, I have never owned a telescope. When I go stargazing, I use either a well-worn pair of binoculars or my own two eyes. I've had several reasons for never buying a scope. The first is that I'm cheap.
Decent telescopes cost at least several hundred dollars, and top-notch ones cost in the thousands.
Another reason is familiar to anyone who's shopped for a computer. A final reason is more practical. Binoculars are actually pretty good for stargazing. They have wide fields of view so you can tell where you are in the sky. Both eyes stay open, which gives stars a certain three-dimensional quality.