Speaking of chains. Another real money saver I recently discovered is a home made
Bain-marie (or "double boiler" for the untraveled ;-)) that I use to melt paraffin wax. I resorted to this after scouring every store within a 50 mile radius of me for one of those electric wax melting do-hickies- to no avail.
I submerge my chain in the melted wax for about 30 mins. The best lubrication EVER! For me, a paraffin waxed chain is worth every bit of the 45-60 minutes it takes me every two months or so.
The trick is to get the right sized bowl and sauce pan so that they fit snuggly together and form a seal
as explained here.