Hello, all!

My name is Emily & I have been quickly turning into a ball python enthusiast! I bought my first BP (a normal/wild type) two years ago, with a tank, light & heating pad for a total of $50, & the seed was planted. Since my first purchase of Gucci, I have expanded my collection to include another normal, an Albino, a Bumble Bee, a Pied, a Het Albino/Het Pied, & an unusually light-colored normal (the latter was adopted from my local Humane Society, so the specific morph is unknown.)
With the handful that I have obtained, & encouragement from my boyfriend, I have decided to start a small, home-based breeding program. We have a handful of breeding ideas that we will enact, but we are also curious about a few other ideas of ours. For instance, we both lust after the Blue Eyed Lucy & are at a crossroads as to our method of obtaining our own: We could invest in a combination of a Mojave/Phantom/Lesser & breed our own, or we could purchase a BEL outright. We were also curious about crossing a BEL & a Super Cinnamon, which is where our current debate has led us to. Our options are between purchasing one young Mojave/Phantom & one Lesser, plus two Cinnamons, to produce our desired BEL & Super Cinnamon, or purchasing a BEL & Super Cinnamon.
Given that I am in Vet School & my boyfriend is a bartender, our initial capitol to invest isn't as much as we would prefer. So, I'm curious as to what people think are the most cost-effective, popular, or preferred plans of action at my current position. I have a basic outline for the breeding program, but I am always open to what other people suggest, whether it opposes or supports my plan, because I am just starting out.

Thank you for your input & I look forward to the help!!


-Emily

P.S. I have pictures posted of my snakes if you're interested in what they look like