Help with getting started!

I'm very new to this whole growing thing. At first, I germinated 2 seeds in a plastic bag under a wet towel just for laughs to see if i could actually do it, since then the plants about sprouted but im using natural light from the outside and im on the east coast, so the lack of full sunlight is slowly causing my plants to deteriorate, i can see it because in the little sprouting leafs that came after the cotyledons are starting to turn a bit yellow at the tips and drying.

What I'm looking for is some kind of tutorial as to how I can build a microgarden for cheap. I'm just looking for some kind of system that can grow 2 or 3 plants at a time, or maybe just one and turn it into a bush. Can I get any help?

Are you looking for something that is discreet? Because if hiding it from unwanted eyes is a concern, then you might want to consider converting a closet or dresser into a small grow operation; the benefits of these methods is that its a discrete profile and very little light leakage. However, if you're less concerned with discreteness, then you could consider a cheap rubbermaid grow box. There are plenty of tutorials illustrating their design and setup, just search around a bit.

The cheapest option would be to pick a growspace (closet, dresser, self-built box etc.), paint the inside white to reflect the light back, add some cheap CFLs (aim for at least 50 watts per square foot), and figure out a way to get air in and out (the simplest option for this a hole at the bottom to allow fresh air in, and a fan extracting from the top to take the hot stale air out).

If smell is also an issue, you can DIY a small carbon filter for the extraction point, but make sure your fan is up to the job of pulling through the carbon.

Another common 'stealth' option is a computer case.

Keep in mind the limited space, however if you have little space to use for whatever reason, look into:

LST (Low Stress Training)
SCROG (Screen of Green)
Topping (cutting a specific point to produce two tops) and finally toppings close relative
FIM (Fuck I Missed) which is topping in a manner that will produce more Colas (Colas are the buds at the 'top' of a branch/stem, they are much larger than the 'popcorn buds' that form below on the branch/stem because they are almost always the most exposed to the light source.

About the term FIM, it generally understood the origin of the name for this method stems from 'the expression' the person who 'discovered' it had exclaimed when he was trying to 'top' the plant and cut it incorrectly. The unintended effect was that there were more than just two tops created by 'topping' the typical way.

Search for serious details in the FAQ about the above, or the posts. There is plenty here.

Agree with all above, get some DAYLIGHT CFLs (6500K color temp), the higher the wattage the better, but the bulbs get quite large above the 100watt replacmet type (runs at 23w) so I would normally not go higher, unless you only have one fixture to play with. The Daylight CFLs are blue-white lights that the plants need in the vegetative stage (grow stage).

Later, when you force the plants to flower by switching to a 12/12 (12 hours on / 12 hours off) light schedule, you will also should switch out the CFLs for the SOFT WHITE CFLs (2600K color temp) These lights have more red spectrum needed for flowering
as before, I prefer to use the 100watt replacement size, however, this is only best if you can spead out the multple bulbs to cover more leaf area. Otherwise, the larger the better. I have a 300W rplacement i use occasionally to suppliment my flowering.

CFs, are cheap, and run cheaper than incandescents so the investment for light can be small.

Also, because CFLs run very cool compared to incandescents...YOU CAN AND SHOULD GET TOPMOST LEAVES OF THE PLANTS WITHIN 1-3 INCHES OF THE CFLS unless your temperatures are too high.
Proper temp in vegetative stage is between 70-80F in most conditions.

There is plenty more to say, Nutrients differ between flowering and vegetative greatly, just as with the light color type that is best.

All this is moot if you can find a safe outdoor hiding spot that will get light, not be overgrown or found, but still is accessible enough to you to care for it. The big problem with that, in addition to location, is loss of control of the start of the flowering cycle, and especially so early in the season, that might be a long while if left up to mother nature alone.