Portable 3D Printer

I said "I figure that if I double what I've saved I'll have nearly enough for what I need" Meaning I was hoping for the parts to be in the $250 range even though I recognize that might be a bit optimistic. Please read what I've typed before you try to correct me.

Not sure how I misread that, I thought you were thinking that you could save money building it yourself, which is not always the case.  Most people think you can just take any scrap and turn it into a printer, but its usually more trouble than it's worth.

For cheap parts I recommend eBay for the steppers, I got 4 for my CNC machine for like $50, and the printrbot is a good driver board as it has everything on board

http://printrbot.com/shop/printrbot-extrudrboard/

Some people go the Arduino and RAMPS route, but unless you are buying knockoffs, that will run more than a printrbot board will run for the same functionality.

When I first got the idea I was one of those people who thought I could just use the scrap electronics I've accumulated and maybe only buy a few parts just for this project. I realized how unrealistic that was very quickly though. As for where  get the parts, I might try giving someone else money to buy this stuff online for me, but I don't know who would be willing to do that... Anyway, thank you very much for the advice. As you can see though, I have more problems to resolve than just those traditionally associated with these types of projects.

When I first got the idea I was one of those people who thought I could just use the scrap electronics I've accumulated and maybe only buy a few parts just for this project. I realized how unrealistic that was very quickly though. As for where  get the parts, I might try giving someone else money to buy this stuff online for me, but I don't know who would be willing to do that... Anyway, thank you very much for the advice. As you can see though, I have more problems to resolve than just those traditionally associated with these types of projects.

Yeah, I wish you luck.

Instead of the Pi, you might want to consider the Beaglebone Black, I believe there is already available, or soon available, a 3D printer shield for it.