Vinyl is a rabbit hole. A gorgeous, warm, obsessive rabbit hole that has claimed the wallets and wall space of millions of people who thought they were "just buying a few records."
You are going to be one of them. The question is whether you do it smart or chaotic.
Start with what you actually love
The worst vinyl collections are curated to impress. The best ones are curated to be played. Buy albums you already know and love before you go hunting for "important" records you feel like you should own.
Your first 10 records should all be things you'll play on a random Tuesday. The cool stuff comes later — once you actually have a setup worth playing it on.
Gear first, records second
A $30 record played on a garbage turntable sounds worse than Spotify. Don't buy 40 records before you have a decent setup.
Budget reality: a respectable entry-level setup (turntable, preamp, powered speakers) runs $300–$500. Buy that before you spend $200 on records. It will change how you hear everything.
Condition is everything
A mint copy of a mediocre album beats a trashed original pressing of a masterpiece. Learn grading before you start buying used: VG+ is the minimum you want for records you'll actually play. NM/M is what you want for anything you're buying to keep.
Track what you own from day one
You will forget what you have. You will buy duplicates. You will lose track of what you paid. Start a simple spreadsheet from record one: title, artist, year, pressing, condition, paid. Future you will be grateful.