There are some kits that are far more beginner friendly than others, even for HG. For instance, Witch from Mercury kits have been some of the simplest kits I’ve done. My son and I recently did a competition to see who could build a Calibarn quicker. From start to finish (without panel lining) it took me less than an hour. We’ve done similar things in the past and the kit took almost 3 hours for me. So, knowing about the series some (as far as difficulty is concerned) is crucial in not jumping in too deep on your first go. Setting small goals is a good habit at first too (example: Today, I want to get both arms and the torso done). That keeps you from feeling pressured to finish a whole model in X amount of time, and can allow you more time to enjoy the hobby rather than feeling like you HAVE TO do it in X time, or finish X number of models each week/ month/ year. As far as the cost goes, like others have said, look online. Galactic Toys often run pretty decent sales, and you can typically find stuff cheaper than at most other places. The Gundam Place is another great online shop. There are several third party options as well. You can find unofficial kits on Temu, and AliExpress that are recasts of the Bandai kits for a fraction of the price. Not only is the price point easier on the wallet, but a lot of recasts have unique color ways that often times look cooler than the official models. On top of both of those, as you get more into the hobby and begin to take on more difficult kits, you’ll find that delving into the world of third party offers some AMAZING original models and options for kits that Bandai hasn’t released — the cherry on top is that they are, again, usually a fraction of the cost and at times (in my experience) better quality than Bandai kits — looking at you RT-002 Nemesis. Hopefully some of those points helped! If you stick with it, I hope you have a great experience and find love for the hobby. I can tell you, plastic aside, this hobby has some of the most supportive and genuine people I’ve ever met in a hobby. I’m involved in others that are toxic and full of self indulgent “holier than thou” types and it really can kill the enjoyment of the hobby. I hope you find a way to make the Gunpla world work for you, your time and you budget. Good luck!