My tomato approach

As of now, my seeds are stored in a plastic bag in my computer room. I've been researching the best ways to grow my tomatoes and so far I've learned that first I need to germinate seeds in a small pot with starter mix. The seeds should be 1/4 inch deep and the soil should always be moist. From there, I need to transplant from starter mix into potting soil when seedlings are about 3 inches tall and I also need to fertilize it regularly. It sounds like it will take a bit of monetary investment, but so far that is my plan. I'm still searching for other techniques I can use that will not cost me too much money.