Just to add, if you do choose to use newspaper, use the sheets with the least amount of ink (no pictures and no colour). Avoid the comics at all costs. If you're looking for a cheap alternative for substrate, go to the pet store, and buy a bag of 1250 cubic inches of compressed aspen. It's normally used for hamster and mice cages. But for some reason, buying a small bag of substrate specifically intended for reptiles costs just as much if not more for a quarter the amount. I buy that stuff for 10 bucks a bag. and it should last you months and months; possibly even a year. Considering you're using it for one tank.