It's great that you've made progress, and good job on looking into CBT. You should be aware that CBT encompasses a lot more than just exposure, and the exposure part includes practicing certain habits of thought in the presence of the threat stimulus.

Since you're apparently already willing to put a dollar value on improving, I think it would be an interesting exercise to work out some expected value calculations for therapy. As far as the expense of professional help, health insurance will sometimes cover things, and universities sometimes offer free counseling or other services (although the quality varies widely).