I don't think you're being cheap. When I first got into BP's I was expecting them to be no more than $50 (LOL!) since I started out with cornsnakes.
Big surprise when I found out $300 is cheap for a morph.
You wouldn't expect a snake to be so expensive, but then again, when you think about it, you would. Puppies and kittens are expensive--so are parrots, fish, etc.
Snakes are no different. Plus, I think they are much prettier than any other animal out there. Show me a pied puppy. XD XD Or a coral/caramel glow kitten.
Spider parrot?
XD
I'd pay for it. The problem is just getting enough money to spend.