I’ll second the advice above about #4 and #5. My first planes were flea market finds, a very worn block (practically unusable), two #3 smoothers and a #6 Stanley fore plane. Eventually I found a Stanley #4 smoother and it’s my go-to plane now. I have a couple #5’s, one set up as a scrub plane. I got lucky at a garage sale last year and got a Lie-Nielsen #8 jointer for $100 (I was skipping a jig on the way home from that!).

The number 4 is a great way to start. But you will eventually want something longer to straighten long edges.

You don’t have to pay a lot if you have patience. I know, it’s not always easy to have patience when you need some tools for your projects. Garage sales are great places to find things. I got my first four flea-market planes for $60. Much later I got my two #5’s and my #4 for free from putting a request on a “free-cycle” website. I have also paid full price for a few specialty planes -router, plough, rabbet and shoulder planes. I didn’t feel comfortable trying to get quality tools of these types on e-bay or other sites.

It will come with time. Be patient.