My son played on a travel team that literally the goal was to see how little we could spend. Parents put in $100 a year, town sponsors donated another $600. We did one overnight trip a year, kids got two jerseys and played tournaments in and around Des Moines.
At the end of the season, kids visited each of the sponsors in person to thank them for their support. In the last year, one sponsor (an auto body shop) donated the entire $600 because he appreciated the kids coming in to see him and because the parents hit a lot of deer on the way to and from games.
The coaches, all dads, taught our boys the importance of giving back to those who give to you, the importance of hard work and how to play baseball. It was an amazing experience. He played with a bigger travel team for a couple of years in high school, but we probably spent less than $3,000 a year.