If you do a lot of flying (^50hrs/yr) then buying a very good headset is not a waste of money in any way. There are appreciable differences between the "budget" models and the ridiculously expensive versions.
I value my hearing and my sanity and whilst I do significanlty more than 50hrs a month, the same applies to all pilots.
With Hire rates generally over £100/hr even something as expensive as the Bose X is not that far away and in the long run your ears will thank you!