Okay, here is my budget list.
Tank - a 20 gallon LONG, not high, you want as big of a footprint as possible. A one year old will be just fine for a long time (if not forever) in a 20L. I would scour Craigslist, aquarium stores for used ones, watch for the $1/gallon sales at Petco or Petsmart. If you get a used one, clean it VERY well with a bleach or vinegar solution and scrub the heck out of it and rinse thoroughly.
UTH - you can find them on Amazon or eBay pretty cheap, I wouldn't look for used ones, these are something that can be a fire hazard and you don't know its history. If it is a sticky UTH, lay down a piece of foil twice the width of the UTH, peel the paper off the sticky side and stick it to the foil. Fold the excess foil over the back of the UTH, then tape it on to the bottom of the tank underneath. This way it is now mobile if you want to change tanks, the extreme stickiness of the new UTH can cause it to fuse permanently with the tank and you might damage the wires or pad if you try to remove it. Use a little tape to stick it underneath on one end only. This will be your "warm" side.
You need a thermostat or rheostat to regulate the temp of the UTH. A thermostat is the best, it can be programmed to exactly the right temp, a rheostat is basically a sliding light dimmer from Lowes or HD. They are about $11. You must get the heat exactly right before adding your snake, so once the UTH and regulator are in place, get a probe thermometer (a lot of us use the yellow ones on Amazon or eBay, you can buy them for as low as $3 sometimes). The probe goes inside the tank, under the substrate directly over the UTH so you know what the temp is. Shoot for 87°, you want the top of the substrate at about 85°. You can hot glue the probe wire down, or hold it in place with a heavy rock. Watch the temps daily to make sure they aren't too hot or cold. The snake will find where he is happiest.
Hides - again, Amazon or Craigslist or eBay. Two is minimum, one for each the hot and cold side. You can also use disposable items like toilet paper rolls flattened at one end and buried a bit into the substrate, or toothpaste boxes. The snakes like the comfort of something on their backs and sides, so don't get anything too big. You can be creative and make them from plastic containers with a hole cut out, tissue boxes, etc.
Water bowl. I recommend the heavy ExoTerra bowls, they are heavy and don't get dumped as easily.
Ground cover. I buy plastic aquarium plants and silk plants from eBay, they work well and are cheap.
Books by Kathy Love
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=corn snake kathy love
and Don Soderberg are ideal reading for a newbie.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...soderberg&rh=i:aps,k:corn+snake+don+soderberg
But PLEASE don't hesitate to ask questions here, there is no such thing as a stupid question except for the ones not asked.
I hope I covered everything, don't hesitate to ask questions!
