I would find the fish a good home; sounds like they deserve that much. Pleco is right ppl- some things in life are more important than fish keeping.
Practically thou, I worked out the math one time and for my two tanks ( a 20 gallon and 10 gallon) running, it costs roughly 12 dollars a month to keep them running, not counting filter replacements, etc. So yeah, I see where your husband is coming from. I would not use that calculator though, as your husband goes by the numbers on his monthly electric bill. So using that to to calulate the cost, then telling him would not hold any weight in his mind.
Therefore, I advise that you do what I did one afternoon. On your electricity bills, look for how much it costs kW/Hr, which means kilo-watt per hour. A kilo is multiplier of 1000 so take that into consideration into adding up your bill. It's just like counting the cost before installing that nice looking fridge or air conditioner. Simple math with a pencil, paper, and a good eraser can really help you prove whether it is worth its cost of upkeep. Just my 5 cents....