Wargaming on a budget

As I get started in wargaming, I'm trying to keep my cost down.  I'd love to have hundreds of very high detail metal miniatures and piles of terrain, but those are out of the picture for now.  In this post I will attempt to show that with a little hard work (and some tempering of expectations) wargaming can be done on a modest budget.

Please pardon the unfinished painting of the units, bad lighting and bad photography.  This image is intended to show a somewhat encompassing image of the text in this post.



Terrain:  Currently my terrain is felt. It was bought at the chain craft store.  A 3'x3' piece of green costs somewhere around $5 USD.  I bought some 9"x12" pieces in other colors to cut up to represent hills, forests, roads, water, and built-up areas.  Each piece cost about $1 if I remember correctly.

Board:  $0.  I put the felt directly on the kitchen table.

Miniatures:  Ok so here's where I cheat a little.  I own a 3D printer.  I had it before I started putting this wargaming idea together.  I designed and printed my own range of vaguely Napoleonic miniatures. (Link: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2521148) Each stand cost me less than $0.25 USD in plastic.  I count my printer as a hobby, so I don't include my time as an expense.  Each vaguely divisional force is made up of six units, so a playable force costs $3 before painting.
My wife is a pretty crafty lady so we already had a small collection of cheap acrylic paint laying around.  I used that.  If I had to buy it all I think it might cost between $5 and $10 depending on how many colors you use.

Dice: Purchased from amazon $5.

Grand Total:  Less than $30.  Not too shabby.

I promise pictures are coming to the blog shortly.  I just need to find some time to actually take them.