The best thing anyone ever told me about RC (and life in general for that matter)- Don't try to save money.
Get what you need, buy from a reputable source, and take care of it. If you can't swing the price today, wait until you can. Sometimes a deal will come up at the local club where you can buy a beginner's setup from a guy who is graduating to higher end equipment, but even then you have to be careful because some guys just don't care what they sell to you. A way to get started while you save your pennies is to contact your local club and see if they have a training day every week. Many clubs own a trainer for new pilots so you can start going to those sessions and learn while letting people know you are in the market. At the very least, it will give you a couple of months to make your purchases and you can learn about what works well from the instructors there.