it's not too expensive to start , you can start by opening small channels learn and grow 
like literally 100.000 sats ($79.64) will get you a channel, that's exactly how i started 1 100000 channel using LTN+ liquidity swaps you get one outbound channel and one inbound so you can receive routing fees right away .. granted they are small amounts but consider it a small yield on your ₿ .. if what stops you is the hardware, if you have a pc/mac running ubuntu 16gb ram and at least a 256gb ssd as long as you're not running a ₿ node as well  you'd have a pretty sweet setup and it's all free  .. a great learning experience

I would really like to run one eventually. Right now the cost is a bit beyond my budget, so I am taking it slowly. I am active on Stacker News and Nostr, where I also share my experiences with Lightning and what I learn along the way. If the sats I earn from my posts and contributions add up over time, I would love to put them toward setting up a Lightning node. That would make the whole journey feel even more meaningful.

SkyLords

BTW you should definitely run a LTN node the more the better