Instead of leaving the hobby, you might consider collecting someone who is less expensive and popular.
I used to spend hundreds of dollars a month on wax, and now I have closets full of thousands of game-used and autos that are just sitting there. Back in 2005, the last year I busted any significant wax, I decided that I was going to pick a couple of rookies that had potential but were flying under the radar. I decided on Eric Shelton and Brandon Jacobs. One busted, and one went through the roof. I probably spent less than $500 total on the two guys, and acquired about 100 autos, patches, low-numbered rookies, etc.
Now I collect only Rutgers guys, and since they don't have any superstars playing in the pros, it's just as inexpensive and I don't care about future value. Scoring a great Quincy Douby card brings as much excitement as when I landed a big card for some high-end set I was building. Only now it costs me $4 instead of $200 and I never have to debate whether or not to keep it in my PC or flip it. And I don't have to hide from my wife. I can show her a great card I just got and then tell her it cost $5, knowing that she probably spent twice that on some crap that was on sale at Target that we don't need.