Just my two cents worth.
I was in this before and made mistakes.
Start with something cheap, like a .40 sized overhead wing trainer as you were told. You can find them used at a local club or Craig's list if you have that locally.
You are going to crash, it's just a matter of time and we all do it.
Don't spend a lot of money on the first plane due to that fact.
And many find a simple simulator is good to have too. You can practice on the computer when the WX is bad. I have the RealFlight Basic. Yes it does not do all the things that the bigger version does, but it does give you practice on various types of aircraft.
Much cheaper to crash and hit that magic "reset" button!