Seriously, straight razor shaving is pretty over-whelming for the new guy. Either that or I just over-think everything.

I have:

shave ready razor from Josh
4 sided paddle strop from Tony (3.0/1.0/.5)
ebay razor never used and needs to be cleaned up.

Now, I strop my razor on the leather side before each use. I understand if it starts to feel dull, I give it 10 strokes on the .5, if that doesn't work give it 10 on the 1.0 then 10 more on the .5, etc. When it gets to where even the 3.0 won't sharpen it, I need a stone.

Now the typical noob questions that I couldn't find answers to:

Will a 4000/8000 stone be all I need?
Are there decent starter stones that don't cost as much as the Norton, or should I suck it up?
How many times can I use the paddle before I need more diamond paste?
Do I need to buy strop conditioner? How often should I apply it?

I also want to clean up the ebay blade and try it. It seems to be in good shape when I compare it to the one Josh sent me, but that's all I have to go on as a guide. Maybe I should pick up another shave ready razor to have more of a basis for what a blade should feel like.

Can you get banned for asking to many questions?