Yeah it seems the only efficient and not random way to use regular un-fem seeds is to grow a bunch- take cuttings, then have some mothers to use from then on. You just need to do the cuttings before flowering of course, label them, then throw out the ones that turned out to be male. The first grow would be another random chance one again but you should be able to keep the mother(s) alive for quite a while. Sustaining a mother just big enough for cuttings once every quarter year or what not is way easier then the actual grow to harvest. You could use a 150w HID to go strong- but to save power you could just use CFL or even LED to keep it alive.
Sucks about the three plants bit but you've gained lots of experience