Golf club advice?

[TheNextStep]

Okay... so I'm a crappy golfer and I have no golf clubs... but I want to become a better golfer and I still have no golf clubs. So what do I do?

A few things:

1. As mentioned, I suck.
2. I'm getting some minimal instruction, as I had to take a PE credit and decided upon golf. He's by no means a golf pro, but I do know a hell of a lot more now than I did before.
3. I don't have a lot of money.
4. Friends have said, "You can sometimes find great deals on Ebay" but the fact is that I don't know if the set of irons going for $39.99 are going for that price because they're a steal or because they suck. Additionally, I've got to add on (generally) 25 bones for shipping anyway.... and again, what if the clubs suck?
5. I'm not worried that I'm going to quit the game. I like it... a lot.
6. I am worried that I'm going to get one of those beginner sets and outgrow it in a relatively short amount of time.
7. I don't have a lot of money.
8. I've looked for online reviews but I don't know what the heck they're talking about because they don't ever just come out and say, "these clubs are freakin' great" unless they cost eight hundred million dollars. They don't ever come out and say, "these clubs are a nice middle of the road set" unless it's an advertiser trying to sell you the clubs. They don't ever come out and say, "Look, these ****ing clubs suck moose balls."
9. What the hell does all the stuff about the driver mean? Do I want 10* loft? Do I want 380cc? More, less? Hell, I don't know.
10. At 6'1", what length of...... wait for it, you bastards.... club shaft am I looking for?
11. For that matter, what's the difference between graphite, steel, and more importantly, what does it mean to me, "Mr. Not a good golfer but wants to play?"
12. I don't have a lot of money.

Help? Anybody?

I'm not looking to buy today... or even next week... but that's more than a little in part to do with the fact that I've got no idea what I'm looking for or, for that matter, looking AT. I see a set of irons on Ebay and I go, "oooooh, they're pretty shiny!" but I don't know if it's just a polished turd, you know? Any help would be appreciated, but I'm particularly looking for very informal advice, preferrably in "layman's terms" so I know what to make of it.