Ultimately our choice to ride bikes all year round means we also have to have the right gear for those different weathers and temperatures, personally I have pretty much the best money can buy- Rukka jacket and trousers, Daytona boots, a heated jacket as I may need to travel the country in the same day, and for me is a requirement, just as much as muffs plus heated grips are too,
for an average commuter they could probably do away with the heated grips and just have muffs- the same as having decent thermals and not requiring a heated jacket.
I've accumulated my stuff over several years and am very glad I have it, but couldn't justify buying it all in one go.
Funnily enough I've spent the afternoon 'fixing' my muffs- they've been involved in a few crashes and worn through so I covered them in overnight plastic courier bags and gaffer tape- hopefully they'll survive the winter as I can't afford atm to replace them!