the green house I buy most of my stuff from does flats of pachy, goutweed, ivy, and vinca- $20-30 for 100 plants. which doesn't cover a whole lot of ground... but it's a start.

honestly- I think those of us who can't afford to drop $300 on plants come up with ways around it. I've groomed the beds of neighbors in exchange for the cuttings, which are usually already rooted (since I'm having to pull them out in the first place) which is a real money saver.

but 'frugalista' is a compliment in my neck of the woods, so we're always looking for ways to make things instead of paying for them ;)

If you're willing to try seed, I would think that's the least expensive route to go, but you won't have the look you want instantly. Now that you mention it, I have an area where the
grass never looks quite right, so I'm considering Gaultheria Procumbens. I found it the follwing web site: http://www.outsidepride.com/store/catalog/index.html

The site listed below seemed to have a wide variety of plants, but no pictures.

Here is a link that might be useful: Groundcover link

I got 100 vinca plugs really cheap on e-bay. First time with plants...wonderful experience! It's worked out great for us because they hardly require digging to get them planted! We, too, have a very large area to cover. As they grow shoots, we lay them down to make soil contact. I expect that while they don't look like much right now, they'll be great by next year at this time and I'll be able to take my own cuttings for use elsewhere in my garden!