Thanks for all the suggestions! I was purchasing the crank pulley removal tool (doing the timing belt soon on my Civic) and wanted to have this on hand. I did consider some of the tips above - consumables, pick set, etc and those are excellent ideas! I also looked at the headlight resto kits.
In the end, I got the Gates 91107 belt tension tester for $13 (well, $3 really, since I had to spend $10 anyways - be it on shipping or product). Last time I had things apart, I tried setting the belt tension by look & feel. I ended up setting it too tight and wore out the bearing in the alternator, leaving me stranded on the highway. Figured I'd like to get the tension set a bit better this time around and this tool had mostly good reviews. My belt tension spec is a pretty wide range so as long as this gets me in there, it's $3 well spent (vs $500 for a tow and new alternator).
Not a bad idea but the order form doesn't let me add a gift card to a merchandise order.