Im pretty new, and looking to learn. I have looked at miners online and they're all really expensive. I'm looking for a more cost effective route.
Well yoou could try the GekkoScience Compac BM1384 Stickminer ( USB Miner ), It's very cheap but it won't make you any money to be honest but it's good for a start to learn some basics...
Here's the thread:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1173963.0