You can value their privacy all you want, but so long as your email crosses a US, UK, or US-cooperating border your messages aren't safe. And I doubt RC4 over TLS, which most connections are, is enough to stop the NSA for more than a few seconds. And even with PGP your metadata, which is what they want anyway to establish probable cause, is revealed anywhere your message goes. Good luck keeping your email private! I wish we could, I really do.

I'm in the US and need to economize as much as possible. I already have hosting but dislike their email services. I can't afford to pay ~$175/year for email alone, in addition to my personal web hosting costs.