"a whole dollar for a single BIT?" Talk to people who fool around with homemade relay based computers or guys like me who just draw schematics and then visit y

"a whole dollar for a single BIT?" Talk to people who fool around with homemade relay based computers or guys like me who just draw schematics and then visit your typical supplier like digikey or mouser and search for 12 volt coil latching relays, which are basically elecromechanical single bit storage devices (aside from other more "practical" purposes). You're looking at a good $4 to $7 bucks. Per bit. Non-aerospace rated. Made in China not USA. This is why core memory was popular, being a lot faster, smaller, and cheaper.