Bottle caps are fine. I use caps for much of my homebrew. They last longer than certain kinds of corks anyway though you don't get the benefit of microoxidation during aging that real corks (not synthetic) provide.
Just started fermenting my first carboy yesterday, having a go at the Apple Cinnamon Mead recipe from your book. So I still have 2-4 months to go before I have to worry about corking. But considering my apartment and budget, I'll probably have to stick to the hand-corker.
The homebrewing store closest to me offers rentals on some of the spendier equipment. I think it’s $9 to rent a floor corker and $16 for a champagne floor corker.
