What I Actually Own Versus What I Actually Use
Over the years I've accumulated a drawer full of gear bought on enthusiasm rather than need: a second flash I've used twice, filters I forgot I owned, a bag system I replaced within a year. If I started completely over today, with everything sold and the money back in my pocket, this is the honest, short list of what I'd repurchase, and what I'd skip entirely.
Buy Again: One Camera Body, Nothing Fancy
The body matters far less than people starting out believe. Any modern mirrorless or DSLR from a major manufacturer, bought used, will outresolve your current skill level for years. I'd buy a mid-range body with good ergonomics and skip the flagship entirely, the extra frame rate and autofocus points buy you nothing if you haven't mastered composition and light yet.
Money saved here should go straight into the next category, because it matters more.
Buy Again: One Fast Prime Lens
If I could own exactly one lens, it would be a 35mm or 50mm prime at f/1.8 or faster. A prime forces you to move your feet to compose instead of standing still and zooming, which is a genuinely better way to learn composition. The wide aperture also teaches you to see and use shallow depth of field deliberately, rather than relying on a zoom's convenience.
I'd skip the kit zoom entirely for a beginner. It's optically fine, but it removes the constraint that actually builds skill.
Buy Again: A Simple, Sturdy Tripod
Not the cheapest one available, cheap tripods flex in wind and eventually get abandoned in a closet because they're unpleasant to use. A mid-range aluminum tripod with a proper ball head gets used for years and opens up long exposure, low light, and video work that's otherwise impossible handheld.
Skip: A Second and Third Lens, Early On
Lens collecting is the most common early mistake. A telephoto for "just in case," a macro for "someday," a wide zoom because it was on sale, most of these sit unused because you haven't yet found the type of photography you actually want to specialize in. Buy your second lens only after you've hit a real, specific limitation with your first one, not before.
Skip: Extra Flashes and Lighting Kits
Artificial lighting is a deep, worthwhile skill, but it's also a rabbit hole that eats money and shelf space before you've even mastered natural light. Learn to see and use window light, open shade, and golden hour first. Add flash only when you hit a specific limitation natural light genuinely can't solve.
Skip: Filters, Beyond a Single Polarizer
A circular polarizer is worth owning, it does something editing genuinely cannot replicate, cutting reflections and glare. Beyond that, most filter effects (graduated neutral density, color grads, soft focus) are now better and more flexibly achieved in editing. I'd skip the filter kit entirely and put that money toward the lens instead.
The Pattern
Every "skip" item above is something that solves a problem you don't have yet. Every "buy again" item is something that removes a constraint you'll hit almost immediately. If I started over, I'd buy a modest body, one fast prime, and one solid tripod, and spend the rest of the budget on time spent actually shooting instead of gear sitting in a bag.