+1 on supporting your LHBS, they are small business and need the support of the community. Being a newbie, being able to walk in and talk to a real person about what I'm trying to do has really helped me figure stuff out. I do have to plug www.HomeBrewStuff.com because they are also my LHBS. They are really nice and have been great about helping me out with recipe tweaks, and ingredient/supply questions!
I agree about the buckets... you never know how bad someone scratched up the bucket with a putty knife. My Home Depot has food grade buckets for $4. Only problem is they're only 5 gal so be careful about fermenting in one. I added a $3 spigot from LHBS and now have a great sanitizing/bottling bucket for less than $10. I also got some free icing/filling buckets from the local bakery (for free) after seeing it suggested on here. They only had 3.5 gal, but they will be good for small batches or sanitizing.
Aiptasia prety much covered the rest, and you'll need a siphon, too.
I agree about the buckets... you never know how bad someone scratched up the bucket with a putty knife. My Home Depot has food grade buckets for $4. Only problem is they're only 5 gal so be careful about fermenting in one. I added a $3 spigot from LHBS and now have a great sanitizing/bottling bucket for less than $10. I also got some free icing/filling buckets from the local bakery (for free) after seeing it suggested on here. They only had 3.5 gal, but they will be good for small batches or sanitizing.
Aiptasia prety much covered the rest, and you'll need a siphon, too.