I got mine !
Go pig hunting with some Hawaiians. That’s budget. Get a couple free poi dogs (strays), walk in the forest a bit, listen for dogs barking, then stab the pig with a knife they made from a scrap saw blade and rebar.
THAT’S budget.
One could argue that the Shotgun was really the gun that won the west.
Not many had the money to buy shells for practice, the shot gun with many pellets was the way to go.
Big Game? Slugs or big shot.
In a pinch the shot shells could be opened with a knife, a melting candle could pour wax down in the shot and make a lethal weapon for that pesky claim jumper.
After peppering a target with pistol rounds (my aim sucks), I love taking out the 870 and blowing big holes in it.
I think youtuber Hickok 45 did a review some months back on a Mossberg and pointed out what the author states - a pump shotgun gives you a rifle (slugs), home defense (buckshot), and sport (birdshot).
If my attempts at scuba diving prove unsuccessful in retrieving my other guns lost in the tragic boating accident, I’ll be glad to at least have my Remington.
Both Savage and Mossberg also produce some very reasonably priced centerfire rifles.