yeah, that off contract price is way too high. That stinks that you can't get it camelguy. Best Buy has 0 interest financing for a year. Not sure what the minimum is though.
I was going to pay cash for my TV and ended up financing at 0% just to keep the cash in my account for longer.
maybe if you craigslist your current phone and finance the rest with no interest, it would be easier to handle.
I'm sure you have thought about al this, but I feel for you since you've been active in the forum and obviously looking forward to the Nexus like the rest of us.