When I started off I wanted to buy high end stuff, and I realised that I always tried to buy the best and the cooler it looks the better.

In 180°ed away from that, but it took me a while. Here a couple of tips:

Don't buy stuff you can DIY or already have yourself. There were a bunch of things where I believed that I had to buy a new thing. But look around and you will find something that works just as well.

Dont buy stuff for looks. I user to have tactical knives because they looked super cool. Battoning is retarded and for carving I use the same Opinel i got for 10£ which I use to gut my fish. To chop wood I have my own, small hatchet which was like 15£. Tadaa, instead of spending upwards of 80£ for a knive, I spent less than 30 quid and it does more for me. And both those things do better what the knife did alone, the hatchet won't break and the opinel cuts better.

Don't buy stuff you won't need. This one seems obvious. But if you are going not far from home, especially in the beginning, you don't need to bring the same stuff you would use for a weekend. Also: don't buy food, make your own. Learn some recipes that are good for on the way, like hiney roasted peanuts. This will save you a TON of money, since MREs are fucking expensive (on that note I recommend that you can also bring insta noodles with you, they are something I like to cool when I'm /out/ and can't fish, and also as a backup food.)

Cut corners, but don't be cheap. Read reviews before you buy, and if in doubt, ask /out/. There are always gear and q&a threads.