hi Rob,
Welcome to IIS. Just leave your wallet at the door and let us spend all your money for you.
6"-8" Dobsonian telescope is a good start. Spend a few extra bucks on a laser collimator to align the optics. A red flash light(or make your own). A book with some sky charts. The yearly Astronomy guide(or what ever its called) has some nice sky charts. Alternatively you can download a free program like stellarium, or spend a few dollars on an APP on your phone or tablet. Maybe a couple extra eyepieces to go along with the ones included with your scope.
aaaaannnnnddddddd..............
A pair of binoculars about 50mm in aperture to help you locate deep sky objects.
You should be right for a long time.
