I am going to be purchasing the following setup. I think with the sale they have going on now, it will run me about $300 with shipping... give or take $20.

Animal Plastics T8 encloser with sliding glass door - with this cage, from Animal plastics, I will also get the following items added:
LED light strip
UTH
Door lock
Snap-in divider

I'm getting the divider because my snake is still a baby. This tank is 4' wide, 2' deep, and about 12" tall. I have read where you could keep two snakes in one of these until they get up to sub-adult size. I plan to keep at least one in one side of it, still using some fake plants to clutter it up some. Plus as mentioned, two hides, a water dish, and two hydrometer/thermometers.

Other items on my wish list:
Herpstat II thermostat. ($200) A one would be sufficient, but this way I can run my RHP on a thermostat, then if I end up getting another snake, I have more options.
80w RHP ($90)


So that's about $600.... I've spend about $250 to get a cheap setup that I feel I need to monitor pretty closely, it's used, doesn't look very nice, and is probably too small for an adult Ball Python. IF i could do it over, I would do it right the first time. But then again, not everyone can afford $600+. I should have thought about that more ahead of time, but I got anxious.

Handling - I don't handle my snake for at least 24 hours after she eats. Some times, it's about 48hrs. Aside from that, I handle her every day... anywhere from 5 minutes to 30 minutes. She'll crawl through my hands, or around my lap, and most of the time, she'll find a spot and just sit there. She doesn't seem to mind it too much. I think keeping the enclosure temperature and humidity accurate is more important to a healthy snake than how much you handle it. Of course, every snake is different. Some snakes are said to be more "snippy" than others. Like people... some just have better attitudes than others.