Don't take that attitude. To your point though, no it is not cheap, but don't shy away from it. Cheese merchants are excellent at putting together small cuts of various cheese for you. I go to the big market in philly and there are a few merchants and i tell them what i'd like to spend(i always keep it between $15-20), how many varieties i would like(i try and keep that between 4-6) and they do the work of making the best selections. Granted you are not going to feed the masses that way, but i am a single guy and it's just my way of discovering something new, and I don't do it alot, 2, 3, 4 times a year maybe. It's fun. The wegmans near me had a cave aged gruyere that really looked interesting but no way was i shelling out $30/pound...they cut off a small enough but big enough slice and i paid $4 and was happy i did. It may turn out artisinal cheeses aren't your thing, well, then you know but you gave it a shot...you may discover something great that will be worthy of spending some money on. food is fun(except radishes, they just suck ass)