Simpler

In the beginning, many think they must sync a lot of money into the craft to be a witch.  Our ancestors did not.  As a matter of fact, they did not have a store to go buy their tools.  Their candles were made from lard or a type of oil as well.  They used what they found in the woods and what nature provided them.   They relied on their knowledge of herbs and trees.  Their altars were a slab of wood or stone.  They used animal parts from horns dropped to animal hides.  They used animal skulls to assist them in their work.

Did this make them weaker from witches today?  No, if anything they were more in tuned to their craft.  No arguments with fellow witches and no need to prove they are better than another.