ill layout some quick options for you, although there are other ways i find these to be the best.
1: refugium with live rock, deep sand bed, and a cheapo skimmer
2: small sump with enough room for a nice skimmer with live rock piled around it
3: a HOB skimmer like the remora aqua C and a small bioload
for lighting, i would go T-5's for cheaper and LEDs for more expensive... even though i have metal halide and i get amazing growth it just gets to hot, so unless you want to make a hood with retro fit MH and cooling fans, i wouldnt go this way.
as for T-5's i wouldnt go under 70 watts and not under $75. there are some exeptions, but that is a common rule. LED's, you can go almost any watt above 20 and you would be looking at around $150-300....
the best option for you would be #1 because i feel that natural filtration always ends up the best in the long run. i would get a aqua C nano remora skimmer ($130) and a cheap 10-20 gallon tank, drill your tank since its acrylic, get a SCWD ( a cool wavemaker) and have a little overflow kit. for the light i would go with a nice T-5 or a LED.
this is just my opinion on what would work best, but as lil said, it really depends on if u want a FOWLR or a reef system