Colony size for small snake collection

I've always been raising my own Fancy mice for feeders. I have 9 corns, and feeding only weekly. My feeder colony (4.10 - 4 tanks) has been pretty close to everything eaten w/ no extras in the freezer.
But since joining CS and reading about the Munson Plan, I started trying that schedule about a month ago (5-6day periods for most of my snakes and double pinks for a couple) My can't support 9 snakes on that schedule, so I had to make a choice between expanding my colony or buying feeders.
Tough one for me, because with store-bought feeders, I have no control on what they were fed or if they will smell tasty to my snakes. I really don't think it'll be worth it to add another tank of feeders. More work feeding and cleaning and add'l smell around the place.
So what I did, I didn't want to but thought it best and decided to downsize the colony to 3.6 and ordered 300 pinks/fuzzies(RodentPro). I'll still raise feeders and pets, just hoppers and bigger.
When I had only a couple corns, 2 tanks were no problem and made raising feeders simple. 6 more snakes in June, and it became work. 3 more just added, and it seems a lot of trouble.
I think I'm getting at that a tiny collection (hobbyists) it's easy to raise feeders, but past a dozen snakes, it's probably best to buy feeders from a dealer for the space and hassle you'll save.
I think the cost for me to produce my own feeders is $0.16 avg for any size, vs. buying a ~6mo. supply for my smaller ones $87.50 shipped(~$0.29/meal)

You could increase production for long enough to build up a surplus in the freezer, then cut back to the smaller number of colonies.

Is it just the double pinks that are causing the problems? They shouldn't be on double pinks very long before going to small fuzzies anyway.

This is a mind game I play with myself often. I really don't like raising mice and rats, and I hate cleaning them. Most of the time. I know some breeders with about the same number of snakes as I have will buy their mice and others raise their own. When I think of what I would have to pay for mice, cleaning mouse tubs doesn't seem so bad.

I guess it just depends on your priorities and how far do you want to take this game.

For that matter, it would be easier to buy baby snakes rather than feeding the breeders all year. But then that is part of the game isn't it. Maybe mice are too.