The problem with outsourcing is all the unknowns, language barriers, weird stuff, and the fact it can be awkward and uncomfortable and its harder to tell if anyone is gonna take advantage of you or not. Having said that, if you've done it, and earned your chops its a kick ass way to make stuff. BUT if you're starting out i'd do 2 things, one go local, go intern, and figure out that cost. Two look for a person who's done outsorucing to help you manage the project, you almost need them and their expertise more than just the coder on the outsourcing end. That guy/gal with lots of experiencing outsourcing is more valuable then anything- they know to get stuff done and under budget.

In the past 8 months I've made 11 things i would of never even begin to know how to make and would of cost me 10-20k if i did them with local/national talent. Theres just no way i could afford that.

My learnings from outsourcing.

An outsourcing manager is critical. This frees you up to focus on what you should be doing, using that time/money wisely into making something, hopefully profitable. Set expectations accordingly. Do not expect it to be perfect. Iterate often. Be explicit on what you want the experience to be of whatever you are making. Mockup everything, story board the experience of it, give them as many visuals as possible, point them to sites and say like that, never ever just give them specs in a text file, otherwise you are set for an adventure in waste.

Challenge yourself, your manager and whoever you hire to do it less. Document your code, back it up, and keep going.