How do I get started vlogging cheaply, without buying a lot of gear?

Use your smartphone as a video camera. But be mindful of audio quality. Research how to use accessories to improve the audio quality of your phone. If you are capturing audio separately, try a Zoom H4nSP digital voice recorder. And get a decent mic to feed into it.

I don’t like the green screen look. How can I get a good background for indoor shooting?

Explore how to choose a good indoor setting or use photographic paper for an abstract background. Depending on the type of video you’re shooting consider setting up your environment to reflect your taste and the subject matter of the video. Musician Andrew Huang’s gold and white studio decor is an example.

What are some cool techniques I can use to make my vlogging stand out?

Explore using a drone to shoot aerial footage. This could be used for any outdoors-focused vlog, such as outdoor sporting, trekking, boating, living in a log cabin, or for events like music festivals, outdoor conferences, and so on.