newbie help, maintaining heat

[distaff]

I also really dislike when people say, "If you cant pay X, you shouldn't be in this hobby." Everything that we discuss on this forum are people's opinions. There are multiple different ways to achieve the same results, with highly variable price tags. Just requires different levels of participation.

Totally agree.
That argument can get really snarky.
Saw it all the time back when I worked a the pound and frequented a dog care forum. God forbid that someone living paycheck-to-paycheck should adopt a desperate puppy!

I'd say, know your equipment, anticipate the likely problems, and do the best you can with what you have. Attention to detail is a skill.

I'm not in this yet partly because I want the Herpstat $139 version. (That is more expensive then the snake I picked out, and she will probably be sold to someone else long before I'm ready. That's ok. There are others out there.) We have plenty of money - because we live by a very strict budget. I plan several months out. We don't just charge things.