You can start mixing your own liquid for yourself with very little hardware. You would need...
Hardware:
Syringes or pipettes for measuring flavors.
Small funnel that will fit into your bottles.
Bottles
Plastic graduated cylinder for measuring VG/PG and nicotine
Gloves for handling nicotine
Easily cleanable surface to mix on (something non porous, like a plastic cutting board)
juice calculator
http://ejuice.breaktru.com/
All this stuff can easily be found on Amazon or elsewhere on the internet.
Software:
VG and\or PG (pg is purely optional, if you don't want it you don't have to use it, and some people have allergies)
Nicotine solution
Flavorings
VG/PG can be found at
www.essentialdepot.com They have really great prices, fast shipping, and good customer service.
Nicotine can be found in many places, and everyone has their favorite vendor. Wizardlabs and heartlandvapes are my personal favorites.
Start off with a small bottle of 36mg nicotine. That way, if you decide you hate DIY you aren't out a bunch of money for nic, and 36mg isn't that dangerous to have lying around.
Flavorings. Look on the internet, and find 3 recipes that you are pretty sure will be good. Order just the flavorings you will need from somewhere like ecigexpress.com. Mix em up and try em out. The best piece of advice I can give about flavoring is this....start with a small bottle. No matter how cheap a big bottle is....start small. Some flavors look really yummy while on the website, and when you get them home....they are shit.
Now, I know I have forgotten a million things, but this is the basic idea.