I'm 29 too so I figured I'd better chime in.
I'd have to agree with the guys that have said patience is key. I bought my first T206 (Tom Downey, fielding) about 10-11 years ago with the intentions of putting a set (minus the big 4) together. I tried to buy as many cards as possible as fast as I could which led me to running out of money and eventually interest when I didn't have new cards arriving in the mail on a regular basis. Had I paced myself I probably would have had a nice set by now, but I ended up having to sell off the cards I accumulated and I couldn't get the motivation to start over again. Figure out what your budget is and come up with a solid game plan. Most of all good luck and have fun with it!