Well, if you were willing to spend up to $1800 on a prefab set up, you can do enough to get you going with less on your own. First, you need to think about how much you want to grow.
As far as soil or hydro, you should consider that with hydro you will need to spend more on initial set up and there is a greater learning curb. Hydro is a very delicate system of growing for beginners compared to soil.
Ok with that out of the way. I would recommend going with a cabinet/ wardrobe closet that you could pick up from Lows or Home Depot. Most famous is a cabinet called the c13 this has been used by many many growers with very good success. I would do a search on the board and put in C13 to start you off. They no longer make them, but you can get an idea of some good cabinet set ups. Generally you can go with a 250w light with few heat problems or a 400w system that takes more consideration when it comes to cooling.
Hope that this gets you going a little.
PS search through the boards for picks and topics before posting and you will find more information which will allow you to make more informed choices and allow you to ask better questions. Don't waist your questions, make them count, and at the same time there is no such thing as a stupid question, or maybe not?
Adieu