There are quite a few "hobby breeders" on SimplyDiscus that sell very affordable fish that are very beautiful. If you live near a large city there is probably one near you. That's where I will get mine when I set up a tank. They don't have to cost $200 each.
Woah, just read through the thread. I think you made the right choice and a very responsible one. Too bad the discus were probably sick to begin with but that's life, life and learn. Good Luck, I would love to try discus so keep us updated, your thread taught me a few things I certainly didn't know.
Thanks all for the encouragement and closing thoughts. I'm sure I'll try discus again, and this all helps for me to keep in mind. I have a much better sense for how I should start out depending on the type of fish I want or conversely what kind of fish I should buy depending on what setup I have.