That's the right decision. Don't underestimate your own painting skills. I ended up painting my armor and bucket myself and I'm happy with how it turned out.
I've never done anything like that before.
There are a ton of step by step tutorials here to help.
You hit a bit of a TDH nerve with Rubies as I'm sure you can tell. I think everyone here had your best interest in mind when they tried to steer you away.
You dont have to spend a ton of money to build a solid Boba (but it helps

)