Thats not necisarily true. I live in Ohio, and for a long time ficus trees were out of my price range if I were to buy them up here. I was lucky to have a ficus that we bought in florida, but until there was a homedepot around us, a small ficus cost about $40, and they quickly got more expensive the bigger that they were. Thats too much for most people, especialy if you have to get more than one and replace it every few months. A vet bill can be expensive, I know, but it happens and is over with. Buying $40 or more worth of plants every month or two is much more expensive because it is continuous ontop of the other expenses. We northern keepers often don't have the luxury of cheap tropical plants. The only advice I can think of is look around in the spring or summer and try to find someplace that you can afford, and get several, that way you can rotate them and hopefully keep atleast one alive through the winter. Also try some pathos, you can probably get some of these for less, or even get a few clippings for free. These are viney, and you could hang them from the top, they don't even need dirt, they will root and grow in water. Sorry this is so long, I just wanted to point this out because I don't think that you are being cheap, and understand where you are coming from. Good luck!

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