For a beginner, FCP is way more user friendly than Premiere. When you look at the screen, it just makes sense. There's my video tracks, there's my audio tracks, perfect. There's my master window, there's my edit window, cool.
I always found Premiere's layout to be confusing and convoluted. One of the biggest turnoffs for someone starting out is a confusing layout. Same goes for After Effects, which, unfortunately is the route you're going to have to go if you want something "affordable."
I can't say enough good things about FCP, it is such a well designed program and everything is really intuitive. I'd seriously stay away from Premiere unless you know what you're doing.