re: Starting Woodworking, what should I get?

Get refurbished tools and check out pawn shops, save a lot of money. Something that often gets looked over is measuring and layout tools. Stanley and Milwaukee 25' standard tape measures are great, no need to spend more than $10 on one. Johnson Polycast levels (torpedo, 2', 4'), small and large speed squares, aluminun yard stick, miter gauge, and pencils. Lots of pencils and a good electric sharpener. Sounds odd but I have three Boston sharpeners (workshop, work vehicle, office) and bought a 100-count box of pencils a few years ago. You can whittle sharp points but when doing cabinets and larger projects it's a lot faster to just use a sharpener and you get a better point than you'll ever get with a knife.