2 things you don't want to skimp on are your skimmer & your lights. Depending on what kind of corals you want to keep you can possibly get buy with T5 or PC. Check
Aquatraders - They have a 4 x 65W PC set up for $99 - not a bad price.
I don't personally have the Coralife skimmer but from what I've heard they hare fairly decent.
What kind of water is your lfs using to make the salt water? Is it RO? Personally I make my own. You have to compare the cost of the water from the store vs what you could make it for. Do you also want to be lugging around that much water??