Check with Jerry at SWK located in Richfield for an inexpensive starter
belt currently listed in his clearance section.
Set up an appointment by checking his web site:
http://www.stillwaterkilts.com
One of the x marks members thread #5 suggested checking out the
Tandy leather site - Well if you got transportation; Tandy has a store
at 7846 Portland Avenue near I494 in Bloomington.
They have all kinds of good stuff to help your kilted projects!
Someone awhile back made note of getting a leather belt from Lowes
which turned out quite well as a crafty project. Lowes has a few stores
in the metro area.
Maybe Home Depot or Menards might have something you can use.