advice?

my friend just got a polaroid and took these photos at a recent get together, and i really loved how they turned out so i’ve been looking into getting one of my own.

thing is, i didn’t realize how expensive they were??? on amazon, the camera is 150$ and film is like 45$ for 16 shots! so, i started looking at alternatives, like the instax mini, and the price seems a little more reasonable (100$ for the camera and about 25$ for 20 shots).

i’ve also heard that polaroid film is a finicky pain in the ass? but if temperature is the only issue, it shouldn’t be a problem for me because i live somewhere very cold.

TLDR:: i guess i just wanted to ask if the polaroid was worth the extra money, seeing as i love the vibe of the photos so much. the picture quality, the colours, the square shape, etc.

is the instax similar enough or is the polaroid worth the extra cost? or are there other alternatives that i should look into?