And always push your budget a little more than what you are comfortable with!! When buying!! Coffee equipment!! I don’t like to purchase anything for more than $5 and I’m a compulsive spender and spend $5 many times over periods of time so I fully understand the broke/financially irresponsible life. Watch for deals though, be open to refurbished and used equipment. I don’t have a lot of experience with used equipment but it would be my assumption that a used espresso machine will be safer than a used grinder because grinder maintenance is a little more particular than an espresso machine. As long as the espresso machine has a working boiler and is free of scale and well taken care of and especially clean it is a safe buy. That’s where refurbished becomes your best option. Anyways, do your research before you completely consume yourself in this hobby of coffee. I started on my coffee journey around age 14 or 15 with little research or knowledge. I watched videos on how to tamp and steam milk and I went out and bought myself a De’Longhi EC155, which was a fair first machine, however my appreciation for different elements of coffee and espresso quickly grew and flourished and I couldn’t stand the sight of my $100 De’Longhi. What I thought was important was cute shot glasses and badass tampers and the rest was just fun. Absolutely not! Most of the shot glasses aren’t dishwasher safe (hint: more work, more to clean) and don’t change the flavor of the drink, tamper doesn’t count for anything on a machine like this because while easily modifiable, the EC155 came with unpressurized portafilters which eliminate the need for quality tamping and exact grinding. Not to mention I was using my mom’s old blade grinder. I like to drink espresso and there’s no way that cuts it. And the panarello steam wand sucked because it was slow and required no skill. Earlier this year I upgraded to a De’Longhi ECP3630 out of desparateness and acceptance of trash espresso. Had I practiced patience, the money I spent on both of these machines along with my Bodum Bistro and Mr. Coffee grinders would have afforded me a decent espresso grinder and half of an espresso machine. Although, I needed a grinder for every other brew method I enjoy. And my mom likes the burr grinders for her toffee flavored coffee.