I encourage you to reconsider speech therapy, it would be time and money well spent. Even if you don't do many sessions, they could give you exercises and tips to use on your own later. Plus you may be able to find some affordable options, some quick googling brought this up: http://www.sfsu.edu/~comdis/clinic.html
> You always find yourself having to compromise on what it is you're trying to bring across.
This is so true, always that feeling like I had more to say, but feared stuttering so I kept the conversation short and lacking details.