I'd like to ask the users here about how you got started in bitcoins and how you acquire bitcoins.
So the two questions are:
1. When you started, did you MINE or did you BUY bitcons?
2. If you are a regular user of bitcoins currently, do you MINE or do you BUY bitcoins?
To start off the discussion, I can only answer question 1. I mined bitcoins when I started. Then I bought and sold bitcoins through an exchange.
I cannot answer question 2 because I'm no longer a regular user of bitcions.
I started by Mining with my CPU, earning like 0.01 in a week, so I gave up. Came back later to 0.01 per month.
Now I own a large amount of Bitcoins, and I really regret not getting into it back then in the day. I tried to set up a mining rig, but I was too late. I tried to catch up on the arms race, and I failed again. GAWMiners delivered late, and I was away from home, on a vacation for 2 months.