Eight bucks a stick? A lot of that is going to Drew Estate's very successful marketing. Since your budget is cut, use your limited cash to explore as many different cigars as you can.
It can be overwhelming looking at what's out there. Maybe save up for the newbie sampler?
I'm still thinking about doing it. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of telling my wife after a big order several months ago that I had a few years-worth of cigars at my pace. So, I have to be very intentional on cigar purchases for the time being. Don't regret anything purchased, but wish I'd used some of that dough on the newbie sampler instead of a few of the fivers, in order to get a wider sampling of what's out there. I'm going to look into it again later this spring or in the summer.