I agree with others- get the Accurite from walmart to keep track of temps & humidity.
Order Thermostat from amazon. Substrate, I agree with the others- the "mulch" may look more natural or nicer in a tank, but it is a PITA to clean - In my opinion.
Also go to reptile basics.com for hides. I also ordered moss & tank cleaner from them. (Great customer service.)

Im a newbie as well, but trust me. I learned the hard way of buying more expensive stuff from pet store, that my snake didn't really like. Then came here and found all this wonderful info. from the "experts" and wish I hadn't wasted the money that I did.

live & learn I guess