I have zero experience with large parrots, but I can answer some of your questions.
1. Ignore the "cost" of acquiring the bird. I spend more than $3,000 annually on toys, food, and vet bills for my birds. For a blue and gold macaw, you could easily spend
•$1,000—$2,000 just to "purchase" the bird
•At least $500 to buy a cage (odds are you'll "upgrade" cages every few years)
•At least $600 on toys (annually)
•At least $500 on food (annually)
•At least $300 on vet bills (annually)
I spend at least $3,000 a year on my seven budgies, two kākāriki, and one parrotlet.
2. Always adopt. Most parrots for adoption are adults, so what you see is what you'll get in terms of personality. Babies may be cuddly, but when they hit the terrible twos, they are absolute nightmares. The terrible twos can last anywhere from 6 months to over two years, depending on the species. Luckily, most of my birds came to me as adults since I've quit buying and started adopting from shelters.
Although this shouldn't be a factor, adopted parrots don't cost as much. Adoption fees can be as low as $800 (or less) for a blue and gold.
The average parrot goes through at least five homes before finally finding their forever home. If a blue and gold macaw is the right bird for you, and you do your research, you'll be changing a homeless bird's life forever.
3. I don't have any personal experience with macaws, and I doubt you do, either, so keep that in mind. However, in general, well socialized macaws tend to be gentle, have big personalities, get along with everyone (amazons, for example, can be extremely possessive of one human and will visciously attack everyone else), and aren't as demanding as cockatoos. However, macaws are extremely loud, and when the mood strikes, they will sing. And by sing, I mean scream at the top of their lungs. If you live in an apartment, this bird is not for you. These birds also have incredibly strong beaks, so if you're going to act fearfully, yank your hand away, yell out in pain, or be afraid to handle the bird after one bad bite, don't get a macaw. Parrots aren't "mean" or "unpredictable", but until you learn to properly handle your bird, interpret their body language, understand how they think, and know how'll they'll react, you'll probably get bitten.
4. I'd try to find a nice big cage on Craigslist or eBay or something. Make sure you research the enclosure requirements for a blue and gold macaw first (bar spacing, bar thickness, cage size, cage material, etc.), and research different styles and brands. To be honest, I'd go with a stainless steel cage since these birds are strong, so you want a durable cage. Expandable Habitats is a pretty cool manufacturer of stainless steel cages. Costs a few thousand, but you want to buy the best cage you can for your bird. Personally, I'd buy an indoor aviary for a large parrot, but that's just me.
5. I'd start with at least 30 different toys. Noise making toys, durable toys, shreddable toys, foraging toys, etc. You'll need to constantly be replacing shreddable toys.
6. Depends on what you mean by "worth it." When it comes to my birds, money means nothing. I will spend whatever it takes to keep them happy and healthy. I've spent countless hours worrying and crying because of them, but I adore them and would never give them up. Knowing they're happy and that they can live out their days in my home without worrying about being abused, starved, abandoned, or left to die alone makes it all worth it.
7. Don't take this the wrong way, but you are in no way ready to make this sort of commitment. A blue and gold macaw, or any animal for that matter, is a lifetime commitment, whether it be the lifetime of the animal or your own lifetime. Bringing an animal into your life is an even bigger responsibility than raising a child. You might think I'm being overly dramatic, but I'm not. Blue and gold macaws can easily live for more than 50 years. In all honesty, are you, someone who's only 15 years old, willing to make that sort of commitment? Everyday, regardless of if you're tired, sick, going to your best friend's funeral, etc., that bird needs you. Just as a human parent wouldn't (or at least shouldn't) tell they're 2 year old child that they don't feel like looking after them for a few days, caring for a parrot is a 24/7 job. You have to spend at least three hours of quality time EVERY day with the bird, training them, exercising, playing, teaching, socializing, etc. Even when Noah is being an absolute nightmare, I know I have to take him out of the aviary and spend at least a few hours of quality time with him.
A while back, I got really sick. Luckily, it wasn't anything the birds could get. I was extremely weak and was constantly vomiting and I couldn't stand up or eat solids. Still, I'd crawl out of bed, slide down the stairs, wash up, and feed and water my birds. You're probably thinking I could've just had my parents look after them, but only me, as their guardian, understands their needs. I could ask you to give my birds their food and water, but I can guarantee you won't do it properly. Birds like things done certain ways, and only their guardian truly knows how to care for them. I rarely leave my birds for more than 10 hours. Whenever my parents would force me to go on vacation, I always came back to a horror show, as their babysitter never lived up to the high standards of my birds. I've come back to mouldy food, filthy water, empty food dishes, birds with full blown testicular cancer, week-old birdie bread...the list goes on. And the people that I left in charge of my birds are considered "responsible" and "trustworthy". I always leave detailed instructions, but it seems like following a list is too much for most people to handle. I was furious with my cousin when I came back to find that Ju had full-blown testicular cancer. He was moody, antisocial, quiet, and his cere had turned completely brown. Somehow, she didn't notice. At the time, there was only three budgies living with me.
( soory mark, but we do!)
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