Solution for intermittent use of a single Adobe product?

Question

I may be a unique case, because I do not want or really need all of the products that Adobe provides my for $30/month. Here is my dilemma:
I use Adobe illustrator infrequently, sometimes intensively for a month or so, but then I will not use it for the better part of a year. This is how I use the application.
So, I'm feel that being financially penalized for continuing to use Illustrator, since I pay for it every single month of my life, but use it infrequently. For example, if I use the program 20 times in 10 years (which is about how I do use it), then I am paying (according to the current student deal which I am sure will change in the coming 10 years time), $3600.00 over the course of 10 years to use the program 20 times. That works out to $180.00 per use.
Obviously I am not in good conscience able to renew my subscription with Adobe, and would have ended it earlier were it not for the severe financial penalty Adobe imposes on users for breaking a subscription contract before its official expiration.
Before I go, I just wonder if Adobe has any care for users such as myself. I know one unsatisfactory response already: I can by the full version, not get incremental updates, and will need to pay full price for each major upgrade. That's a bad deal too. How can a infrequent user of a single Adobe product (Illustrator) use the application for a reasonable amount of money? I don't need every Adobe product under the sun nor do I like the fact that somewhere in Adobe's hierarchy they think that is some kind of advantage to users. To me, that is product bloat, bordering on spam marketing.If I want a sip of water, I have to drink from the fire hydrant. This is so bone-headed.
I suppose, overall, I will advise my students to use what software the company they work for uses. But as far as a personal graphics package for independent work, I cannot recommend Adobe products anymore because of this pricing scheme, which really does penalize people who only use a product one in a while. But before I go, am I missing something? Is my assessment of this dilemma on target? I know I can no longer afford Adobe products, but I also want to advise my students in a way that is fair to them. Currently I am working on a module that shows all of the vector mapping graphics programs and breaks them down according to their feature set and cost for the user.
I've been using Adobe Illustrator for over two decades, and I will be sad to not have it available to me in the future, but this new business model and pricing structure no longer makes sense for me. Yes, considering the time and energy I've put into the program this is an emotional decision, but ending my relationship with Adobe is the healthy choice. It's like walking away from an abusive relationship of the passive-agressive variety. Adobe, what a drag!

Answer 1

On the face of it, the $30 for every monthly use seems like it might be a good solution for intermittent users. But, as a designers, I think many of us might like to take a brief look at an idea (sometimes just for the fun of it.) And so, if during one month I want to take a peek at some of my work with no real intention of doing any work, I would need to pay $30 to look at my own work. This kind of situation creates a kind of "double bind" for me. It's an uneasy feeling, having a kind of oppressive effect on the creative flow of ideas. Consider this case scenario: "I think I can improve that logo I did last summer. I wonder what this change would look like?" Well, to find out that will be $30.00. For me, that's an uncomfortable position. Again, thanks for the thoughtful reply.