Most people, when they first get thier Technician license, usually buy a 2 meter handheld. With the 5 watts, you can do an awful lot of stuff: Talk to others dierctly, 10-50 miles away via a repeater, or to other states and countries via the IRLP. New handhelds are $100-$300.
A 2 meter mobile (100 watts) can be installed in a car or run it from home with a 20 amp 12 volt power supply or car battery. They are $150-$400. You can buy an antenna ($30-$80) or make your own (almost free)
One thing to remember, in this hobby, there really are no expenses to using it. Photography, fishing, bowling, etc have the equipment costs, but then it costs money when you use it. After the initial equipment costs, amateur radio is cheap!
Once again, it would be wise to find someone in your neighborhood that is a ham. It's always good to get local advice. A lot of young people have received thier first equipment from a ham that just gives them thier old handheld or transceiver.
A national chain that sells amateur radioequipment is Ham Radio Outlet:
http://www.hamradio.com/ They will send you a catalog.
There are deals on ebay too.
http://electronics.listings.ebay.com...tingItemLi st
Most parts of the country also have "hamfests" -- swapmeets for radio equipment. Lots of deals possible.
While you are exploring all of this, find out about "field day" in June.
Keep us informed about your progress!
Allan