Guys (& gals?) -
I don't want to sound like I'm getting on a soapbox or anything. I'm all for doing the best with what you have. If there's a corner that can be cut without seriously affecting the whole, go ahead & cut it.
HOWEVER - Besides your ears, your monitoring chain is THE MOST important thing you have. No matter how wonderful OR crappy everything else is, none of it does you any good at all if you can't hear it somewhat accurately.
I'm not saying that you have to spend $6,000 on a set of monitors - I've heard quite good mixes done with NS-10's, BX8's, even those little Edirol things. There are obviously much better options out there, but there are resonably inexpensive options also. QUALITY HiFi amps can be wonderful, but expect to pay $1500-$4000 for one that will sound markedly better that a reasonably priced "reference" power amplifier. Most "consumer" stereo gear colors the sound pretty drastically. Normally not in a pleasant way either. The higher end stuff kicks ass, but I'd rather have a $200 Hafler than even a $1000 stereo receiver that says "THX" on it. Stereo receivers are made to "make stuff sound good" - Power amps are designed for accuracy.
Do what you're going to do if that's what you can do, but keep that in mind.