Thermostats are definitely one of the pricier aspects of the hobby. I saved up amazon gift cards and my husband paid the remainder for me to get a herpstat 4 last year for my birthday. I thought that would be plenty. I've already outgrown it now (using 2 hydrofarm t-stats on my BP quarantine tub) and when I get pvc cages for my boa and possibly my BP (still haven't decided if I want to go rack or not with her) I will need to buy another t-stat and my husband won't be happy with that. Cages are at least easier to understand expense-wise. It's harder to understand how such a small t-stat can be so expensive (for someone not in the hobby). This hobby definitely isn't cheap and I know that causes some strife among couples I read about on the board.