Don't get anything bigger than 15w for the purpose(s) you outlined. Sure they're not going to sound like a quad stack Marshall.. but then you'll never be able to crank it up loud enough to get the true sound if you buy something that big. Peavey is a great brand for the smaller amps, in my opinion.. if you're wanting a really nice tone you could try for an all-valve amp rather than a solid state amp.. although you will find more "modelling" style amps in the solid state range..
As far as pedals go.. after getting your amp the next option would most likely be a cheap multi effects pedal, such as a Zoom G1 or G1X.. that will open up an entire world of possibilities to start with.. later on you can start to buy individual pedals to get specific sounds... but at this point I would suggest a cheap multi-effects pedal so that you can experiment with many different tones and effects without needing to buy 10 or more separate pedals.
Other things you should seriously consider investing in are a Digital Tuner to keep your guitar in tune, obviously. A string winder, which is a device to help you restring your guitar with less effort, would also be a good idea.. they are very cheap. Also if you haven't changed the strings on the guitar, that's also something you should definitely do.. if you are not sure how to restring, take your guitar to a shop and get them to show you, or check out the lessons here on GT. Some extra picks (proper name is plectrum) of various shapes and thicknesses also. I have about 5 different picks I use for different things but I have a bag of about 50 picks that I have bought over the years.
That should get you started... before I buy anything I ALWAYS try it out first.
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