I'm new to ball pythons also but I have leopard geckos that require belly heat and have one bp so I'll tell you what works for me. You need a thermometer with a probe and put the probe right on the hot spot, not just hanging in the air. You could have air temp of 80 but the hot spot could be 100+ which is really bad. Acurite makes a great thermometer with probe for $12 at Walmart. If your local Walmart doesn't have any go to your local pet store and as long as they sell reptile supplies you will find a thermometer with a probe there. Just remember to put the probe directly on hot spot. A temp gun is also good to have, not necessary but I like to compare to my thermometers. You don't have to shell out $50-$100 for a thermostat, just go to Lowes or any store with a lighting department and get a lamp dimmer. There will be a spot for you to plug your uth into the dimmer then the dimmer into the wall. I use dimmers for two beardies basking bulb, my 2 leos uth, and my bp uth. They work great and only cost $14 each. If you want a nice thermostat get a herpastat. But get the lamp dimmer in the mean time. The lamp dimmer is a cheaper permanent alternative if you don't want to shell out the money for a quality thermostat.