I almost did that in ‘68 after getting out with a radio teletype MOS ... my age, the times and lack of money kept me from realizing that ... might be WAYYY too expensive at THIS point.
You can spend as much for ham radio as you like.
Get a Technician License training manual for a few dollars. Study. I used https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/amateur-radio-exam-prep-technician/id297951496?mt=8 using an iTunes gift card someone gave me.
Take the test. Find an ARRL affiliate club near you, they offer tests often. Check http://www.arrl.org for details. Test costs something like $15.
Get a radio. A Baofeng handheld is $31 at Amazon http://smile.amazon.com/Baofeng-UV5RA-136-174-Dual-Band-Transceiver/dp/B009MAKWC0/ref=carldonath?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1424958756&sr=1-1&keywords=radio+baofeng (I used my Amazon credit card “points” to get it free.)
Total entry cost for me: $15.