hey little brother, just keep at it and you will succeed. personally, i learned
way more from my mistakes than i would have thought.

anyway, if you look in your local phone book you might be able to find a
discount builders supply house or a builders salvage yard both of which
have wonderful bargains.

here are a few pics of a light bar that can be bought, for under $20.00 even
at full retail and the splitters are about $1.50 at Walmart.

also, i'm a disable vet living on a very, very tight budget as well, shit, i'm
so broke i can't afford to spend the night!

and, as has already been said, you need to get the lights as close to your plants
as possible, hold the back of your hand up to the bulb, when it starts to feel
hot to you, it'll be hot for your plants. with CFL's you can get to within about
an inch without hurting your plants.