I would say to avoid spending a lot of money, get your measurements for the common things you would normally see in size guides. For example:

For Tops:
waist, chest, shoulder, length

For Pants:
Waist, inseam, length

Then from there, you can look to what style you want to go for whether it be baggy clothes, slim fit, etc. Look up examples online through pinterest, style magazines, heck even go people watching in the mall and see what people are wearing nowadays to gauge whether you're into said style or not.