I know this kind of advice has been given in this subreddit before, I've been reading a lot of posts but I would appreciate some advice. I apologize for the long read but I definitely need guidance. 

I've recently been made redundant (I'm sure I'm not alone considering the state of the world). I have a bit of money in savings & would like to invest it into purchasing screen printing gear with the intention of making a small income. 

Few details:

I have no experience screen printing & I'm doing as much through research as possible before committing to anything. I have a friend who can connect me with a local screenrpinting business, my plan is to try out some printing at home first then ask to volunteer my time at their store to expand on learning experience. I would like to approach them with some knowledge first to prove I have the determination & interest to learn. 

I have a starter kit in mind, however it's a large chunk of my savings. It includes everything I would need but the ink supplied is water based. I have a lot of clothes I would like to up-cycle that are a mix of polyester/nylon. From my understanding, I'll need a pastisol based ink with a catalyst. That's another expense. Where as going water based is cheaper, but it comes with the cost of purchasing 100% cotton items. 

I will be roughing it at the start with a UV light & heat gun. I have a spare room & an old grow tent (don't laugh) to create a dark room. 

I am based in New Zealand, so supplies are limited & I will have to purchase internationally, which again is another expense. 

I would like to know what is the best option to move forward with.

Regardless of which way I go I will be purchasing silk screen mesh, uv light, heat gun, stapler, squeegee,  coating trough.I have a printing hook up so will do that separately. I also don't expect to start making an income straight away. 

I'm trying to decide which option is better for me.

1. invest a couple hundred dollars of starter gear with water based ink, purchase cotton items. 

2. invest in pastisol ink & a catalyst, up-cycle nylon/polyester. 

There's a starter kit available in my country which I could also invest in but it would be a large chunk of my savings, I'll add a photo with everything it contains. 

Best path to choose, pastisol or water based?