I agree with the Creative Memories suggestion. I know even as a scrapbook veteran, I get overwhelmed in scrapbook stores and such cause there is SO much! A good Creative Memories consultant will show you how to make nice albums in little time using their organizational tips and tools. And, like Franne mentioned, if you invite some friends and they purchase as well, you can easily start earning some products for free. And even if no one buys, you get to learn the basic steps and most consultants love passing out a free sheet of stickers, or handouts, door prize, etc. At least I did when I did it!
For the very basic, you will need:
An album
A good acid free pen
A paper cutter & nice quality scissors
An acid free/lignin free adhesive
Embellishments such as colored papers and cardstock, stickers and die cuts.
I would start off with a small event you want to scrap - a birthday party, or maybe a wedding you went to. Buy just what you need for that event (it's SO easy to buy lots of stuff just cause it's so cute!) and then start that way. That way, you have a set amount of pictures (not an endless amount like if you wanted to start scrapping your life or the year 2000) and you will really feel like you accomplished something and can start getting your scrapping style down. What I like about Creative Memories, is how all their papers, stickers, pens, die cuts coordinate so it's very easy to make an attractive page.
As you evolve in your scrapping you might want to invest in a circle cutter (I like Creative Memories the best, but there are other brands out there), more pens, learn layering techniques with paper, check out some fonts you can buy or download for the computer so you can do some journaling on the puter, etc.
Have fun! We're here for ya!