I was worried about clipless when I started too...However, you can adjust your pedals to how "easy" it is to clip out of. So my shoes clip out with not much of a turn in my foot, and that makes me feel better about the whole clipless thing. Also, after pedaling up your first hill with clipless you might just be convinced they are worth it...I was
Also, there are some discount websites that people on this forum have turned me onto...the one I've been impressed with is bikenashbar
So, if you decide you want to go clipless (and can go to your lbs to find what size you need in a specific brand), you can probably get a basic shoe/clip setup for around $100