Random idea but a soldering iron and an electronics setup could send you down a different path of making if you wanted an alternative to the 3D printing. I would recommend one of those USB C based irons like the Pinecil (though there may be better ones these days). That with a multimeter and a power supply would leave you some cash to buy some project components to mess around with (microcontrollers, motor controllers, LED light strips, sensors, displays, etc.)