Yeh, look for used kits, you can get pretty nice models models from manufacturers like pearl and sonar and etc, for like 400 bux, sometimes even with cymbals included (which is the most expensive part). For teaching yourself, I'd recommend just learning alot of really basic beats from various genre's. For starters, its handy to have a swing beat, a shuffel beat, a blues beat, a rock beat, a funk beat, a latin beat (bossa/samba), and maybe a fun punk/metal beat (variant of rock beat). Once you learn basics of each style, youll start to form your own ideas and intertwine stuff to make your own style.
Another path I reccomend, is starting by studying jazz beats (swing/shuffel/blues/bossa/samba), and getting good with comping with your left hand and what not. These can be some of the most advance styles to play and by learning them, you really are learning a universal language which is transferable around different genres. Another good thing to do is practising rudiments (your technical stuff, roll, double stroke roll, buzz role, flam, paradiddle, etc. etc. etc.). They build hand strength and show up in music alot in the form of fills and just general manuverability.