I will chime in a bit, I used to be a "I am just starting out" guy... now I am the guy who makes the flavours at a vape company...

Buy a gross of bottles... I recomend glass it is a bit pricey but trust me, you will be amazed at how many bottles you go through. Last time I looked at Amazon it was like 150 bucks for them... which was crazy (I buy a lot of glassware and the price of 144 dripper bottles is rougly the cost of half my pyrex lab glass which is stupid). I don't have a killer source, if you need/want plastic squeezy bottles let me know, we buy them by the truckload so pushing some out at well.. about 10 bucks for all I can stuff into a big shipper box from USPS which includes the USPS costs I would happily do... however squeezy bottles are a bit of a PITA for repeated use.

PG/VG. Buy it by the gallon, the price per Ml in a gallon is like 1/10th of that in a 250ML bottle, at the very least pick up a liter. You will find the per Ml cost is pretty minimal.

getting a stirring unit is pretty awesome, I use Corning because I beat the tar out of things in the lab, my first stir unit was like 40 bucks off ebay though.

Erlenmeyer flasks are awesome, besides you get the total mad scientist vibe: http://www.amazon.com/SEOH-Erlenmeyer-Flask-Set-1000ml/dp/B0018OL4A2/ref=sr_1_3?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1399418669&sr=1-3&keywords=erlenmeyer+flask

Beakers are great too for measuring: http://www.amazon.com/Corning-Graduated-Griffin-Beaker-Assortment/dp/B004DGIITC/ref=sr_1_2?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1399418708&sr=1-2&keywords=beaker

and graduated cylinders: http://www.amazon.com/213I10-Karter-Scientific-Graduated-Cylinder/dp/B006UKIABA/ref=sr_1_2?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1399418737&sr=1-2&keywords=graduated+cylinder

Ok, so it is a bit on the pricey side, at the very least get yourself a cylinder.

and a notpad.

When you are doing something take some notes on what you are working on, and then start whipping up your mixture.

Figure out what base volumes you want... 50/50 pg/vg is the most "popular" base, We sell entirely in 60/40 or higher due to the fact that PG is a LOT harsher than VG and produces less vapour volume.

I started with mixing up a batch of 60/40 mixture and storing it in a large bottle, then the math was easy. if you are aiming at 20% flavouring (again pretty common standard) 18ml of 60/40, 2ml of flavour and you have a good start, getting a bunch of 1oz bottles of this stuff mixed up and then you can take them, and line em up, knowing that everthing is the same you can then start adding things to an empty bottle knowing that the formula in all of your base units is the same.

if you are doing everthing at a base nic level then add that into your base and set it to be a final product at X nic, everything in all the bottles is the same etc.

I did my first... 40 or so flavour tests this way, I now work in larger volumes but my lab looks shockingly the same... Now I have individual chemicals in solution and add things together for the desired result, once I have that down I polish the formula and take it to the street for testing.

We do a LOT of testing... which is awesome fun too, also I found pretty quickly that my friends were always hitting me up for something, so I got used to cranking out bottles of stuff on the fly, having everything pre-mixed helps a LOT.

Steeping... well, steeping is oxidizing, interaction with oxygen is a bit question mark. Part of why you steep is to reduce water/alcohol/additives, part of it is to oxidize.

I have cooked things off at low heat (50C) for a day at times, at other times I put things into a beaker set it on the spinner and let it set in direct sunlight for an hour or so.

Steeping is slow chemical change, what you are trying to do is alter the flavour by either oxygen/light interaction or allowing the undesirable things to cook off. some mixture of the above will do the trick for you.

With the local pharmacy make sure that it is in fact food grade. I bought a lot of stuff from High Desert vape early on, they are a DIY paradise and the guys there are really knowledgable. I don't work with them anymore (I tend to buy in large buckets these days or even barrels). When I first started though they were very helpful.

More bottles for sure. Especially if you want to experiment with aging your liquids, side-by-side taste tests, etc. My wife and I both enjoy mixing; about 100 bottles in the house and sometimes we still run low. Heartland has a good price on 100-packs, and Amazon has a Chinese seller that I've had good luck with, vktech. If you order those I'd recommend getting the ones sold sold by vktech and not one of the other vendors listed alongside.

Amazon's also a good place for VG and PG in litre sizes - stick to Essential Depot brand and you'll be good. Last time I checked they didn't have litres of PG from Essential Depot, just a few other brands I haven't tried. Essential Depot sometimes run sales on their site, but shipping can be a killer (vs free from Amazon).

Aging your liquids is something you won't get a clear consensus on. i'd say find what works best for you. Aging is not magic, it won't make a bad liquid good. Try a few side-by-side tests and see if it's worth the time and effort. Mostly I strive to make blends that taste great immediately.

Be sure you have a method of working with VG, it is very thick and that can be problematic. I measure by weight so I don't have to deal with syringes.. if you stick with syringes you're going to want at least one 14ga needle for VG. Or use a syringe wirthout a needle, or a graduated cylinder, etc. Silicone tubing (for aquariums or home oxygen systems) is a good size to get VG out of a tall, narrow-mouth bottle - just shove a length onto the luer fitting.Many people like having a ton of 1ml syringes (one per flavor, perhaps) to avoid cross-contamination.

Everyone has their own tricks and methods; you'll find what works best for you after a time.

1ml syringes! i get pg and vg at Amazon.

A few 1ml and at least 1 30ml syringes

I agree with more bottles. One can NEVER have enough bottles. As for steeping for a week, I've found a couple of hours (or so) in a coffee mug on a candle warmer works wonderfully. Shake it a couple of times during the heating time, make sure the mug is covered while steeping. The ejuices I've come up with, in my opinion, far surpass anything I've ever ordered.

I like using graduated cylinders, I find its easier to measure everything that way before dumping into a bottle. Also, if you don't plan on transporting all of this frequently, avoid the tackle box. I use makeup stands for my parts/ingredients, because I never put them away. Fountain pen ink stands work great too. Easier to see everything and grab what you want quickly.

I put clear tape over the numbers on my syringes. The numbers start to wear off over time. Have fun!