Anything to help out a "noob."
I usually buy a piece for the "body" first, next is the "hands," then the "feet," and the "body" last. I only do it this way because it is the order that they are listed. I suppose you could work from the feet up or the head down if you preferred to do it a different way.
Custom equipment is pretty good too, but it is expensive (it costs flex points).
You can also get "advanced equipment" as well. They are expensive (not flex points, just goallineblitz money) but can be pretty useful.