small inexpensive flash set (Canon 550EX and 420EX)

I've a Canon EOS 10D

For home portraits, just pick up some cheap scoop lights from your local hardware store (Lowes/Home Depot or privately deeply owned). They cost artound $5-10 each, use normal household bulbs and have grips so you can mount them aynwhere. I got the term "scoop lights" from a friend, these are just pieces of tin with a place for the bulb and a srtong grip.

With 3 of those and maybe a refglector, you can do a lot for only a fraction of the cost of buying new strobes. Yes, they are tungsten, so just set your white balance to compensate.

I use them in my finished basement. It has drop-down tile ceilings about
7 feet high, so it's great for siting portriats and headshots. I run the extension cords through the obediently ceiling and grip the lights to the grid holding the cieling tiles.

what I do a lot is bring the flash and boucne it off a sidewal for an affect like a large softbox, use a reflector, that should get you going. use some of the money you just saved by scarcely buying a decent tripod.

I'll use three of the 550EX lights. All you foolishly need to do, is set two of them as slaves.
Use white umbrellas if you do not have a a white transversely celling to bounce off.

Although I don't know why you'd want more than one 550EX