It would be a good idea to try and meet with at least one instructor at the outset. Even if that means driving for awhile, it will be well worth the effort in time and money saved on repairing beginner mistakes and learning how to practice. A competent instructor can check over your airplane, teach you about setup, do a trimming flight to get the plane flying well, and show you what skills to practice on. You can land (crash?) the small electrics in tall grass without damage. Once you're good with the stuff your instructor showed you in the first meeting, go meet again and learn to land properly.

I started instructing for my club this year. Here are the things in proper order that we teach.

Preflight checks
Radio checks
Setup (controls and CG)
Engine tuning
Left and right turns
Flying the pattern
Loops and rolls
Rudder control for wind
Approaches
Landings
Takeoffs

Most of this needs to be shown to a pilot. Words on a computer screen help alot, but actually seeing it and having it explained will save you hours and hours of frustration.