I love Lego, but i hate forking over USD$50+ for a small box of plastic blocks

now that I have a child of my own I've been checking out the selection at the various Lego stores around town, which are always fun to browse in (most have a little table set up for kids to play with some of the simpler shapes). It's been a long time since I shopped for Legos in the US as a child, and I remember them being pricy but not quite as pricy as the ones here. Bascially the smallest of sets (like 20 pieces or so, usually a few simple blocks and 2 or 3 "character" pieces) ends up around RMB 200, while something more suitable for a gift or a curious child is closer to RMB 700 and up. Eegads.