Sad to say, that's what it costs. You might be able to save a few bucks shopping around or using mail-in photo labs, but not much. Also, prices are going up the

Sad to say, that's what it costs. You might be able to save a few bucks shopping around or using mail-in photo labs, but not much. Also, prices are going up these days for both film and developing. It's only gotten more expensive since I started last decade due to both decreases in supply and increases in demand. If you're willing to stick with black and white you can get sort-of close to "magic machine that does it for you" using something like Cinestill monobath. That will do several rolls for $20. Then you have to scan yourself. Think about it this way. A brand new high quality full frame digital camera will cost thousands of dollars. Film camera prices are going up, but you can still get a very nice 35mm film SLR for just a few hundred depending on which one you want. The lenses for the film camera are almost definitely going to be dramatically less expensive as well. Then you add the cost of film and developing over time and now you're pretty much just coming into the same price range as the digital camera. TL;DR: digital and analog are about the same price over time, assuming you are buying a brand new digital camera. The only way to do photography on the cheap is to use your phone (that you were going to buy anyway) or to buy an older/used digital camera. And if you are strapped for cash, that is exactly what I recommend. Why buy a new camera that is a low-end model when you can buy an older camera that was the top-tier professional camera of its day? For example, the Canon 5D Mark II can be had for just a few hundred bucks, and that's just one option of many.