USB 3.0 for Macbook pro? Isn't it 2012?

As we all know, the early 2011 13" and 15" Macbook Pros do not have the expresscard slot 34 that the 17" does. I realize there are cards that you are able to plug into this expresscard slot in order to achieve USB 3.0 standards. So with only a SDXC (Secure Digital eXtended Capacity), a Thunderbolt port, a firewire port, and no ExpressCard/34 slot, how can I get USB 3.0 to my Early 2011 15" Macbook Pro? Or is it even possible? I realize the ideal option would be to use Thunderbolt, but at the time of this writing, that is way above my budget for simply connecting an external hard disk drive (or hopefully a solid state drive) to my laptop.

(Also, I have found that there is no official support for Intel motherboard USB 3.0 integration, which is why no Intel Mac has native USB 3.0. But it's been 10 years since USB 2.0, can't we get an update that doesn't cost $500+?)