No worries, Pamela. We all enjoy helping a new gardener get going. That's why we hang around on the Ask a Question forum.
I'm thinking you may be stressing too much about the lighting. Don't you have a windowsill that gives good natural light, where you can park your plants? Some plants might not like direct sunlight through a window, but most will do just fine there during the winter months.
If you're sure you need supplemental lighting, then you're right in thinking what you need is a fluorescent ballast set up. They are pretty inexpensive and easy to come by at Lowe's or Home Depot. Just hang it up, plug it in, and put in your T6 fluorescent bulbs. If you're really advanced, you'll get a timer to put on the plug-in end, so that the light will turn itself on and off. If the plants are near a window, then you probably only need an extra 4 hours or so of light from the fixture.
