So sorry to hear that Jay!
Which projector do you have? The last time I got a low bulb warning I was surprised to find some 3rd party companies finally making replacement bulbs. You could also just get a new bulb instead of replacing the whole several-hundred-dollar lamp housing+bulb. Might be worth a look. In the end, though I just bought a new projector and retired mine to my in-laws house. We only use it a couple times a year there so the dim bulb isn't too big of a deal.
Flash forward 6+ years and my current projector is now flashing a low bulb warning every time I turn it on. Might be time to junk the one at my in-laws, retire mine to their house, and then get a new one for me
I have an Epson 8100 which is the one just before the current 8350. Yeah, I've been looking at bulbs and reviews on same. The bare bulbs can be had as cheap as $60, but they appear to be cheap Chinese bulbs that have reported short lifetimes of just a couple hundred hours. A number of places have reported that the Epson bulb is made by OSRAM, and you can find places that sell the bulb in a "compatible" housing for $130-150. The reviews for these on Amazon are quite mixed, so I am a bit wary of quality control.
Basically, I am looking to get a genuine Epson replacement from a reputable source like projector people or visual apex. Will probably cost me $250ish, but I figure I will likely go another 4 years, at which time I will probably replace the projector. Oh yeah, will also buy a new filter at the same time.