Hair color on the cheap

I started getting grey hair when I was 15 years old...lame! So by now (I am almost 27) I have a good amount, mostly on top, in a few patches. I've been coloring my hair to cover the grey since my teens. Up until a few years ago I used bottled color from the store, with mixed results. I didn't stay consistent with the color and ended up with brassy tones and even accidentally went black a few times. I have dark brown hair but do NOT look good in black hair. Well after a few too many accidents and hair that was several not-so-pretty shades, I decided to check out the local skills center that is a part of the school district I worked (work for...I will go back part time when baby is 5 months old for the remainder of the school year) for and see if it was worth the money. Its been an adventure for sure, but its been worth it most of the time. Hair cuts are an awesome deal because I can't do my own hair (yet...a frugal skill I want to acquire) and its only $3. Hair coloring is up for debate I guess...right now its worth it to me to look decent while I have a professional job and spend the extra $20 a month. When we are on the mission field, I think I will go back to the bottle color, and just be more careful about sticking with the same color. Come to think of it, I won't have much of a choice if we are in Papua New Guinea with no hair salon! At left is a picture of my hair as it is now...,a color I actually like.