wow, since when did looking for a cheaper alternative become "not being able to afford to feed a pet". It's hard for me to say what you should try, i think in your situation i might consider breeding. For me, I wait around for the shows and buy a ton at the show because they are at online bulk prices with no shipping and even if you have throw half out in 6 months, it's cheaper than any other method. I can't say I feel your pain because I have at least 10 shops in town that sell live and multiple reptile stores that compete against each other, and I still wait around for the shows to buy mice.