I think the sim will loose its appeal once the weather gets a lot better. The sim will help with "thumb memory", like if the plane is coming towards you and you want to level it, which way do you move the sticks, etc. But it is no replacement for real life flying.

As for collecting the necessary gear, do yourself a favor and buy from your local hobby shop if there is one nearby. Other than a club, the LHS is invaluable for the assistance you can get from them. But they still look out for themselves, so buy some stuff from them and get to know the people there.

If you have more than one club nearby, visit each one to get a feel for the guys in it. There are 2 clubs within 30 mins of my house. One is private, mainly specializing in expensive pattern airplanes. The other one flys at a city park set aside for RC. The guys there fly anything and everything. I have seen SPADs all the way to 30%.