Equipment for start up

I'm trying to get the gear together to start brewing at home. I am planning on getting an entry level kit from the local supply store, converting a mini fridge to a kegerator and have a tub to use as a swamp cooler. Does anyone have any suggestions for equipment that makes brewing easier, but is not thought of initially?

extract, extract with steeping grains, partial mash, or all grain?

if you want to go all grain, the BIAB method is very easy as an entry point.

I'm going to start with full extract for a batch or two, to get the hang of it

in that case i recommend practicing your racking (siphoning) technique a few times with plain tap water

also a fine stainless steel mesh strainer can be a good thing to have when putting your wort into the fermenter.

A big funnel with a strainer at the bottom sounds like a fantastic idea until you have a funnel full of wort that isn't going anywhere because the strainer is completely clogged with hop material and other sediment.

Star San and either PBW or Oxy Clean! and be sure to read up and learn all about cleaning AND sanitizing.

Seriously, get the biggest, nicest pot/kettle you can afford. If you're getting into kegging right away, clearly you're not shy about dropping some cash on this hobby you haven't tried yet (don't worry, you'll like it), so don't buy something you'll immediately have to replace. A 5 gallon pot isn't getting the job done for anything besides partial boil extract batches. 7-7.5 gallons? Good to go for AG. 8 Gallons? Better. 10 gallons? Great. 15 gallons? Awesome. Valves/fittings on there too for pour-less transfer? Set for life.

One other super cheap thing not included in most kits is an auto-siphon. Best 10 bucks you'll ever spend brewing. Get one. A nice luxury would be a stir plate and a big 2-4L erlenmeyer flask. If you're making starters and controlling your fermentation temperatures from batch one, you'll be making better beer than 60% of all homebrewers right off the bat.

Thanks guys. It seems like there are a few investments still to be made.

After my first 5 batches I can definitely say my next purchase will be some sort of wort chiller. An ice bath in the sink does the trick but it takes about 45 minutes. This 45 minutes is when the wort is at its highest risk for infection. It's the only time I actually worry on brew day. I scored a chest freezer for free and got a temp controller anticipating brewing in warm summer temps but it's still around 66 degrees in Seattle. Wish I would've bought the wort chiller first but I have a little play money in my budget each month and will be ordering one tomorrow. Now I just need to decide if I'm getting a plate chiller or a copper tube chiller. I'm thinking plate because I've seen plenty of setups that have filtration and oxygenation in the chilling line. Seems like it would be a better upgrade considering you can add those two extra processes down the road while a tube chiller only serves one purpose.