In order to make sure you find a really good bookkeeping course you will need to do some homework. This will take time. Set aside a dedicated few days to do this. If you are careful it is certainly possible to source a good quality course where you can learn the basics of keeping your accounts without spending any cash at all.
When researching bookkeeping courses you may also come across classes held by your local government offices or small business advisory services. These can be very good and certainly there are some free courses available. If you decide to learn through a course you find on the internet (and there are some excellent free or inexpensive classes out there) then check out the qualifications of the provider. Also see what help is available as you complete your studies and if there are any 'hidden' costs.
Once you have chosen your course then the next thing to bear in mind is that if you do need to buy any equipment or supplies you get the best deal you can. Make sure you only get what you truly need. Bookkeeping can often actually all be done on paper. There are even some quite extensive businesses that run perfectly well recording everything manually on paper or simply using spreadsheets on a computer. Naturally it takes longer to record all the incomings and outgoings of a business on paper using a pencil but if you really want to save on your costs then this is probably the best method.
If you are thinking of using an accounting software package to manage a business's accounts then there are some excellent programs available but naturally these tend to involve costs and we are interested in starting small and on saving your money. So you will have to decide what you need now, and what can wait. Once you have learned the basics of bookkeeping for free (or at a minimal cost) and you know how to do it all on paper then you can look around at how to attract your customers. Once you have a customer or two and have started to establish an income then you can think about carefully planning what you could buy to improve the speed of your bookkeeping. This might involve accounting software.
Bookkeeping can be done from home and many people make a great living from it. Every small business needs its bookkeeping organised and so there will always be a demand for someone like you. Even if you never actually become someone else's bookkeeper you might start your own business (doing something other than bookkeeping) and then do your own books. You will lose nothing but a little time by learning this valuable skill, and you will probably gain confidence through taking a class on accounting as well as saving money. By doing your own books you will also be fully in control of your business as you will be keeping an eagle eye on what's really going on with your finances. That makes great business sense whichever way you look at it.
