I am thinking of getting a domain, but to be honest, I am very green when it comes to anything online. What recommendations are there for a newbie like me to try out without paying too much that will not hurt my wallet if I crash and burn?
What are you looking to purchase the domain for? Develop it, park it, sell it, ect. Depending on what you're looking to do, the approach would change.
a domain is not expensive. you can also make use of coupon codes to cut the cost. You can also buy expiring domains with only few months for a really low cost like $1 or $5/domain and then experiment. Another option is to buy .info domains. They are cheap as well. Good luck!
Check out ExpiredDomains.net to find dropped domains with traffic. I suggest finding one with a good keyword that has good search volume, and has traffic already going to it, and developing it. Like Marvin said, you can get a .com domain from GoDaddy for 99 cents with the right discount codes.
Domain names are not so expensive. You can purchase them online through giant domain name registrars.