Free buckets from the grocery store, $3 airlock & grommet, $12 for hydrometer and thermometer, $4 for a spigot, $5 for paint strainer bags, $3 in tubing, $14 capper, $3 caps.
I'd say I'm in at about $40 plus ingredients, and I've certainly said "good enough." I have no desire to have a 3-tier...