For what it's worth, I don't make a ton of money. All of my snakes are either "normal wild types" or single gene, with the exception of the two that were given to me.
And guess what??? They're awesome snakes and have the exact same temperament as a $10,000 snake would have.
I get the local thing with the ETB, but is a slightly smaller ETB that's within your price range gonna be any less quality of a pet....nope.
The carpet, you're looking at an expensive paint job. That's like slapping custom paint and rims on a run of the mill car. It's still the same car. Maybe a little prettier depending on who you ask. But all the functional stuff is still the same.
Maybe it's worth just living within your means rather than experimenting with living creatures????