> Also a wok looks expensive as an experiment, like a couple meals worth of food, but unless you do something crazy it never wears out and its cheap compared to something like a complete all-clad stainless steel cooktop set

This a thousand times. My wife and I cook most of our meals at home and whenever someone asks me how to get started I always recommend a good quality (read $20-30) carbon steel wok that will last for decades if cared for properly. The ease/flexibility of cooking in it is amazing and healthy stir fries are close to idiot proof for beginners so long as they follow a couple of simple rules.

EDIT: the other tip I generally give is learn the base of a vinaigrette (one part vinegar to two/three parts oil) and it will absolutely slash the amount of worthless calories and sugar you consume. When trying to eat healthy so many people will prepare a salad (good) but then drench it in store bought salad dressing without reading the label (bad). With the base recipe you can experiment with different vinegars and acids (e.g. lemon juice) plus flavor boosters like garlic and shallots which will produce a super tasty and healthy dressing at a fraction of the cost of buying something at the store.