Cheap ball bearings. 
If you look around long enough, eventually you can find a cheap source of almost anything.  It turns that in the case of ball bearings, the secret word is "slingshot ammunition".  These may not be very high-precision, but they are many times cheaper than those sold for actual use in actual bearings. 
Source: Cabelas 
Contributor: Theodore Gray 
Acquired: 26 September, 2003 
Price: $15/400 
Size: 3/8" 
Purity: 99%
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