In my experience pouring my own plastics is where I feel like I have been better off in increasing my catches. Jigs are jigs. You can buy skirts and make a jig any color you want. The most important part of a jig is the hook in my opinion and I have found that there are a couple of jigs on the market with hooks that I cannot find that are better than anything I can buy.
Pouring soft plastics is limitless. Your imagination is the only limit. I am making a little swimbait right now that is a copy of an old bait made in the 60's, super simple designe that really seems to be outfishing the ones I can buy. It is a lot of fun. For me making jigs got really boring really fast.
If you buy remelt plastic, a used microwave, and use a pyrex cup, use pop to make your molds you can get into a little cheaper than some of the other guys have posted, but you will end up spending money on other things that you haven't thought of. Respirator, clamps, building a work bench, salt, little tools, a butane burner, and mold box material are some things that never crossed my mind before I got started
I concour on the time issue too. I find myself wanting to sneak out to the garage more often than my wife approves of, and it is a little obsesive, and I have only been playing with this a little over a month.
Sure is a lot of fun for me.