You might find a carrier at a garage sale. Can you check the local newspaper and drive around a bit on a Saturday morning? Seems like you’d be perfect for garage-saling, since you get up so early.
I don’t know how she would react to a carrier that had other cat smells on it. The “new” smell can be disguised by HER smell, but I think a used carrier will always have some part of it that smells of the previous animal. That may not be a good thing for her. I figure if I can get one for under $20, it will be a good investment.