You can call me what ever you want. You do have to realize that I do know what I'm talking about and have been in this for a very long time. I have also had the experience of snapping chains under power which almost always leads to a knee the the stem and a trip over the bars. Not my idea of a good time. $30 once a year is not really a big investment. Infact I have gotten a few for christmas over the years, so they did not cost me a cent. IMO you'd have to be an idiot to not replace a chain once a year, but then I raced and that changes things. You don't put the same stresses on a chain in the park or on the street.
If you want your chain to look clean and lubed get "White Lightening Epic" lube stays on for a long time and its wax based so no black crud in your chain or on your pants.
I'm old and have a bashed up knee. I can't peddal hard enough to brake a chain any more. You can add graphite to a chain lube. Grahpite is dry and will not attract grit like oil will. It is best to use some sort of dry lube.