Use a coach - yep
Pay for it - yep
250+ - nope little less - actually under 200 per month.
Individualized coaching with weekly updated of the schedule, TrainingPeaks account and unlimited phone and e-mail contact.

I picked this coach (actually they are two - one for swimming and one for bike/run) based on recommendations and feedback from other athletes they coach plus the coach lives about 20 minutes from my house and goes to many local races I do. I've been with them for few weeks and already see the results in my swim and racing (my coach made very good changes to my race plan that saved me from having bad run day).

But if you want coach that puts together your plan for the season - hey that is not as expensive as you write. What is expensive in all coaching is the attention your coach pays to you on weekly basis. If all you need is a plan - get a plan for 200-300 bucks and then pay individual adjustments or make them yourself. But note that you get what you pay for - there will be no changes to your schedule in case of injury, illness or other life events. Actually the person putting together your plan will most likely not look at it at all during the rest of the year unless you ask them to. But that may work for you.

I too only race for fun and for x-training and I decided to hold off on getting a coach for the same reason.

My logic is that at this point I could see a big performance gain from getting more practice in the pool and the bike as well as focusing on my form and transitions. I'm not yet interested in the 'fine tuning' a coach could provide, I'm more trying to get a hang of tri's in general and tightening up my game so to speak.

There are some great books out there on TRI training, of course magazines.

Also don't under-appreciate the value this here forum! Some of these athletes might not be 'coaches' by profession but they have forgotten more about the sport than I've learned so far! (And so far they've been more than willing to help me out with my beginners questions)

Yeah, no coaching here either...might look into it in the future, but I've made some huge gains in the past year just working on my own developed plans. There are some very good books to help with this. I also still see where I can improve. I think when I get to the point where I'm not sure where to go for time gains, that's when I'll look to consulting.

Although, a big +1 to the free consulting I get (and give where I can) around here

I have a coach, she is worth her weight in gold and she doesn't charge that much. Look through the USAT coaches directory (http://www.usatcoachdirectory.com/searchbydiscipline.asp) and start calling them. Find someone local that you can click with and hire them. I'd shy away from pro athletes/coaches because I think you're going to find they charge more and you might get less attention because they are also focussed on their own goals.

What I get from my coach is very specific workouts that are related to my races. I just completed the most bizarre workout last week on a rather large hill that included:

"climb for 5min., descend and then climb to the top and descend + climb 2min., descend and climb another 2min., descend + climb 5min., descend 30sec. and climb 2min., descend 10sec. then climb to the top and descend for the last time"

This workout was specifically tailored to mimic the climbing at an upcoming race. It's personal workouts like that which make me realize she's putting some thought into my training rather than just sending me something out of a book.

I highly recommend either of the coaches I have worked with. Riding with power, check out MarkyV (www.markyv.com). That is who I work with, and have had great support and results. My plans are tailored not only to my goals and upcoming races but also around things in my schedule (business trips, wedding, etc). I definitely find it worthwhile -- especially since I got power.