Don't just give up because it gets hard. Trust me. I was like many others and just found myself a Craigslist chameleon and thought her 5 gallon set up with wood chips was perfect. After about a week I found out I was terribly wrong and needed to do a lot of investing. I didnt give up, I learned and made my chameleon the best home I could possibly give.
Now is how old is the female chameleon and is she gaining weight.? If she's friendly can you touch her stomach and feel eggs.? If so she will need a laying bucket so she can deposit her eggs.
Can you not purchase real plants for their cage.? At this time of year you can usually find many that are on sale.