Hi Bob,
I'm one that subscribes to the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid!) principle. I got away from hunting for about 15 years, but never stopped fishing. Even though I've been fishing for somewhere's in the neighborhood of 40 years, I still keep things simple. None of my rod/reel combos cost over $50, my boat is an old aluminum rowboat my grandpa left me. Now, I've managed to put together a pretty decent collection of fishing stuff over the years, but thinking about all the stuff I use, if I were looking to start from scratch... being budget-conscious myself, here is the basic wish list I'd try to fill:
1. A basic ultralight spinning outfit for $30 or less
2. A Plano - type box, 3600 size
3. Unpainted round jig heads in 1/4, 1/8, and 1/16 oz (half dozen of each for starters)
4. Unpainted mini-tube jig heads in 1/8, 1/16 and 1/32 oz (half dozen of each for starters)
5. 1 Pkg each of the following colors of 1.5" tubes (starting with my best colors first, working down the list):
Chartreuse
White/silver
Hot pink
Blue/chartreuse
Red/white
Depending on what I've got to spend, I would cross off colors starting at the bottom until I get within budget. With the jig heads, I start crossing out the biggest, then the smallest and work my way to the middle of the list to stay in budget - all else fails,I'd simply go with the 1/8 oz round heads.
That's it. My basic crappie kit. Should be less than $100 for everything, including the rod/reel. After that, I periodically have to restock jig heads and tubes, and re-spool reels. After that, it's a matter of adding jig heads and tube colors over time as finances allow.
I hope this helps!!!!