So what are you looking for exactly?
I own the Andrew Schloss book, the Andrea Lynn book, and the Stephen Cresswell book. They are all great resources, though the Schloss book is probably going to be the best bang for your buck.
I don't think that the recipes in those books are necessarily much fuss, and money is going to be determined by whatever your ingredients cost. You can make syrup as inexpensive and as easily as syrup and water, but what do you want in it? Root Beer flavor- your options are going to be extract, flavor oils, or roots which are going to cost you(money) or literally require some digging(fuss). So again, what exactly are you looking for?
Some people get into soda making to save money by making rather than buying. For that route fermentation using roots and herbs is cheapest, but requires the most "fuss". Some of my contemplation on the costs can be found
here.
Other people get into soda making because they want gourmet flavors. That said, some flavorings or ingredients aren't readily available off the grocery store shelf, or to pack something with intense flavor comparable to an extract but is derived from raw ingredients requires more raw ingredients than one might expect, as is occasionally the case with the Andrea Lynn book, so this route is going to require the most money.