A thermostat is literally one of the most important pieces of equipment for a ball python- it's absolutely not a waste of money! You can get this one for only $24:
https://www.amazon.com/MTPRTC-Contro...art+thermostat
For now to be safe, I would unplug the UTH until you get a thermostat. Can your parents or friends loan you a bit of money for the thermostat? Also a temp gun will give you much more accurate readings than a thermometer. How's your humidity?
Could you post a pic of your setup? That might be able to help us identify if there's other husbandry problems. Usually when a ball python won't eat it is due to husbandry issues. Maybe there isn't enough clutter and your snake feels too exposed?
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