Tip - How Can I Get Started with Home Automation?

Dear Lifehacker, I want to set up some basic home automation tasks but I've never done anything like this before. How do I get started? For that matter, what kind of things can I do and how much should I reasonably expect to pay?
Tags: ask lifehacker, home automation, android, ios, windows, mac, raspberry pi, arduino, x10, zigbee, z-wave, insteon, 101, Lifehacker