Update: found a much cooler approach to prototyping.
My gf and I went shopping at a thrift store and I wandered back to the used ancient electronics in hope I could at least pick up some cheap transformers from the older stuff with linear supplies.
Then I noticed and remembered some the nice cases, switches and mechanics older audio equpiment from the 70/80s has. Then I glance at the newer stuff and saw a CD playerswith a really sweet rotary encoder. So I bought that, an old receiver/amp and an old tape deck. Each piece cost me $10 on average and each one had at least one component, perfectly good, that would cost me more than that.
On top of that I've got three nice metal chassis (that will see my tools for sure at some point). Some really nice heat sinks, some random IR optics (from CD player), motors actuators etc. A nice collection of cool switches, of course random stuff like chokes, power semiconductors (which I wouldn't feel bad about killing), various sliders/pots, cables (one isolated section to another because this gear used to be high end). Well, all sorts of good stuff.
I've been meaning to do this for myself for a while anyway, but now I'm thinking of all the different ways I can prototype (for lack of a better term) psu/test-equipment "UI" using ultra-cheap junk (that unlike today's crap is built ruggedly and precisely).
Anyway, new perspective, can worry about off-the-shelf once I have developed designs ideas more, and re-inject money into a better part of the economy, and save myself money, and save the need to manufacture new crap just becauee I myself purchased new crap. It's win all around!
Of course now I've made this post, every thrift store will be stripped clean of all electronics with useful guts ;-)