Is Premium worth buying?

I've owned bf3 since it came out about a year ago, and I've been playing it quite a bit since then, and in nearly every match, there's always at least one person (usually 6 or 7) with all the shiny new Premium gear.

I feel like I'm missing out on all the new weapons, gear, and especially maps, but I don't have $60 to spend on a video game. I truly enjoy this game, so should I just save up for Premium, or should I just suck it up and save my money for something else?