use yeast starters to multiply and save yeast

Hi,
as many others i've recently noticed that a large portion of cash is going into buying yeast vials. So i'd like to save on that.
I've been reading up on yeast washing. But it seems that gives a lot of steps for contamination.
As an alternative would it be possible to make a rather large yeast starter, pitch half of it and feed te rest some more maltodextrin solution, keep it in teh fridge, and use it as a base for the next yeast starter?
That way I could buy one vial of my 3 favorite yeast strains, and never buy one again.
Anybody have experience with that?

I have never had an infection from washing the yeast. I used the insructions I read here. Never a problem. Make the beer and get enough yeast for my next 3 or 4 brews. Make a starter and go on.

VW:

Nothing wrong with your thinking there. I do that myself. I try to get yeast well in advance of when I need it. I make a big starter, chill it, decant it, and put it into several small mason jars. When I want to brew I use one of these mason jars to make a starter. You can also use the cake or yeast wash on the back end.

As far as never buying yeast again, yeast does get old, and washing does eventually lead to over contamination and mutation. The only way to stretch yeast over a year or more is to innoculate slants to create a yeast bank that can be stored in the freezer. That is a bit more work, and still some has limits on length of storage.