Realistically you can just wait like 3-5 months until the price goes down a bit. Got this 128gb iPhone 7 (free unlock from att) for $570 + $10 otterbox deal from amazon + $3 screen protector + sprint 1 year "free" service for $4/mo. So that's 631$ for an iPhone and a year of service..
These phones really aren't that expensive if you look for a deal.
It was an off the cuff guess on what the average person would spend on a "military grade case"+insurance. I based it on the fact that I know the high end cases can sell for upward of $100. Apparently there are cheaper options [1] though.
Instead I buy a ~$200 phone (which is just as good to me than a $1,000 phone) and when that one breaks I get another ~$200 phone.
I don't care about a broken screen though, if the screen cracks then I'll just use it until the phone isn't functional anymore.