I have been quite fortunate to find a number of great Non-Cubans in the less than five and even "somewhere around three dollar" range in the past couple of years. I've had to cut back from about four or five cigars a week over the past six months to about three a month because of recent health difficulties.
Off the top of my head however, I think the following brands might be good budget brands for those who have financial "issues" such as myself. As time goes on, and perhaps if I dig through my humidors I'll post some more suggestions.
Mayorga Maduro
Genuine Counterfeit Cubans
Bolivar Fuerte - rated pretty fine by some experienced Cuban cigar smokers I know
CAO Gold - surprisingly tasty for a light Connecticut shade wrapped cigar, even with a kick at times
5 Vegas - Received a bunch of these from a friend a while back. Quite spicy right out of the box, very nice after about four to six months in a humidor
Good to be here. This is my first post. These forums are a bit intimidating after spending three and a half years on the web site I left 88 days ago, but perhaps because there are so many topics. No doubt, as I have told a number of friends, this web site can hold an interest for a great number of people with diverse interests. Although I will be spending most of my time here on the Cigars, Spiritus Fermenti and Coffee and Tea forums, I will be swimming around and may get involved in some other discussion forums, such as pets.