Back "in the day" we used to record on a cassette deck either using the built in condenser mics or a remote mic.
( I was never into recording enough or rich enough for anything else.)
Now I read the recording section and the only acronym I recognize is USB.
I know what one of those are, the rest is gibberish to an old guy like me.
I simply don't have the vocabulary.
I have been able to grok that there are such things as USB mics, that one would use for say talking to the guy you are about to kill in Call of Duty or Halo, but I think I'm at the point that I want to record some stuff so I can share it with you guys.
That is a huge leap for me as those that read my intro thread will understand.

So.... On a wicked tight budget, and in very simple English, what do I need to do to get sound waves into this black box that is my PC?
BTW I know I've got a good sound card in there.