You can put a bench mounted press on a Black and Decker Workmate; which is basically a super small portable workbench. It takes up little space and can be moved anywhere. It is not super stable, but I would still think it better than a hand press for general use. When I got into reloading a little over a year ago, I knew I was going to be moving soon and didn't want to get a dedicated bench, so I got a Workmate. Go check it out at Lowes/Home Depot.
Well, time flies, and I still have the Workmate; but looking to change that soon.
Also, and this might be just me, but I would get a turret press. They are not any harder to understand than a single stage, and getting dies adjusted right is a pain. With a turret you can set it and forget it; just rotate to the one you need at any given time. With a single stage you are going to be swapping/adjusting dies constantly. I got a Redding T7, but there are other good options out there if you are looking to go cheap.
I also don't know what is wrong with a digital scale; I got an RCBS digital and have no regrets. It repeats very well as long as you calibrate like the directions say, and it is way faster than a balance beam would be. It is more expensive though.
There should be nothing wrong with most used gear, and you should be able to pick it up for very, very cheap. Just watch Gunbroker, buy incrementally, and you'll be loading before you know it.
I would advise that you think about where you want to go with it for at least the first year though, and buy gear that will support that. It might be a little more cost up front, but will save you money down the line. My upfront investment was around $750, iirc, but I've bought practically nothing but components since. If I would have bought a single stage at first, I would have bought a turret by now anyway.
Good luck.