Hmm, my first bit of advice, is to start researching what Modern Deck you want to play in a year. Because once Standard rotates, unless you are willing to continually invest hundreds of dollars to make a remotely competitive deck it is not worth staying in. Not to discourage you or anything, because LRR got me into Magic too, and I love playing it. It just is Magic is expensive and you got to figure out your priorities and your ability to play to pay. Though if you like Standard, and have the money, do as you wish and ignore this old miser.
Like after this initial wave of booster openings, I recommend you find out what mechanics you like, and start building from there and refrain from buying more boosters after this. Buy singles, it will save you money in the long run.
Though if a financial breakdown is not what you are looking for.
Here are my top ten tips for a new Magic player.(I am a Magic Player for nearly 2 years...still a bit of a noob though.)
1. Find a friendly Local Game Store. If the store makes you feel like a intruder, that is not a place to play Magic or meet new friends. I once new a card shop that lasted barely a couple of years, because they were so insular that no new customers came in and all the people "knew" each other to the point of it being a hostile space to newcomers.
2. Make friends, play Friday Night Magic, and generally try and get as much seat time as you can. This will acclimatize you to the rules and culture.
3. Don't be afraid to call a Judge when you don't understand a rule, be it in a event, a casual game, or just because you don't understand a rule off hand and wish to learn.
4. Don't be afraid to call a Judge if you have misgivings about how your opponent explains the rules to you. While there will be friendly enough people, there are definitely people that invest too much and resort to cheats.
5. Don't be afraid to call a Judge before you make a play to make sure you are doing a legit move. They can't explain how to do things like a combo, but making sure that something happens the way you expect it is okay.
6. If you like opening boosters, Draft. That gets you gameplay for the price of a little under 3 packs. Usually I hear it's 10 bucks more or less, so you are in for the price of three packs more or less, and you get to play.
7. If you draft, make sure you have a Magic price app in your phone. While this may be looked down on, depending on the store, it never feels nice picking a card only to later to realize you gave away a $20 dollar card...
8. If you don't care about money, don't worry about money drafting...
9. Don't let people hussle you. If you get a trade binder, and offer trades, make sure you are getting a equitable trade. Don't let them guilt you into not checking prices, because while the difference of a dollar is no big deal...if the difference is more than 3 dollars, you are loosing essentially a whole pack. Some will try to suck you dry if they think you can be bullied as a new player.
10. Have Fun.
PS
If you want, I can give you my Skype profile, and I can voice chat with you and explain a few things if you want.