Being a Beginner at vaping, what is the easiest and most cost-effective way to get started. Looking to spend no more than $40 all together.
That's a bit of a challenge, but I did see yesterday that Wetvapes.com has a couple of Smok kits that come with tanks and a couple of coils for between $9.99 and $19.99 on clearance. That site also sells e-liquid, so you could order everything from one place and have only one shipping charge. I believe for orders under $50 their shipping costs $7.55. Also believe one of those kits needs external battery/batteries and one has a built-in battery. The built-in battery will save you money in the beginning, but is not an ideal choice. When the battery dies, the whole mod has to be replaced.
That will not give you a mod and tank that you'll want to stay with indefinitely and without backups. You'll want to get something better as soon as you can. But it will get you started.
If you can spend a little bit more, I'd recommend the Voopoo Drag X or the Argus GT kit, but for those units you'll need to buy one or two good 18650 batteries (Samsung 25R, Molicell P26A, Sony VTC 5A, LG HG2) plus juice. These are higher quality units than the cheaper Smok kits.
Note that both of these choices can be turned into rebuildable tank units. There is an RBA available for the Baby Beast tanks that are included in the Smok kits, and an RTA available for the Voopoo unit/kit. In fairly short order it is going to be difficult if not impossible to order vape gear online (which includes factory coils) and have it shipped through the postal service; there is a new law restricting that going into effect March 1. For long-term vaping, it may very well be necessary to learn to build coils and install them in an RBA or RTA yourself.