Meh; I'm like you on the $15/mon issue, Minion
(mind if I call you Minion?)...so what I do is go with the 'Freemium' MMOs - ones that permit free-to-play...with the opportunity to 'speed past the grind' with a subscription, or access to more content for same, or having highly-desired gear/features/etc purchasable via micro-transactions.
Take
DDO:Stormreach - I've let that fall by the wayside for some months now, but it even permits you to 'earn store points' through your questing and thus unlock more adventures, which give the opportunity to earn more points, etc. etc. to the end that even a cheap-ass like me can conceivably experience virtually ALL the content in the game without ever having to shell over so much as a penny.