Have you looked into just "lower" quality kibble? Chicken Soup is actually on the expensive end, for it's quality, so if I were you I'd just look for good kibble that costs less.

Canidae is really cheap. I don't think it's much more than $1/lb where I work, and it's very good quality. Nutro is also a good price, for good quality food. IMO I would rather beg my parents to give me $20 extra a month, hehe ... I know people who switched from high quality kibble to Purina ONE to test out the 30-day "challenge", and they saw big changes in coat/digestion/health within a week.