Choosing an Arduino

can find lots of LED with resistor kits on ebay. Here is one for 50 LEDs with resistors for $4

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Lot-50-x-5mm-LED-10000mcd-Free-Resistors-5-color-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem4aa0426a71QQitemZ320516287089QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

About a month ago I found a 100 LED w/resistor set for about $5 and just a resistor set for $15. It included 2500 resistors everything from about 12ohm to 1m and everything in between. 50 of each value. Good way to get started for small stuff.