Surfing Waves

Hey all,
I've just recently starting browsing this site and it's got A LOT of info that I haven't had time to get through it all so please forgive me if some of my questions are repetitious.
Anyways, I recently moved to RI and have only been surfing a few times in Hawaii and Australia but I loved it and want to start going once or twice a week. So is there anyone in the RI area who is looking for a new surf buddy? I work in the evenings during the week but my mornings and weekends are free. I'm new but I learn quick.
Also any advice on places in this area to surf. I'm not rich but need to find a board. What would be a good budget to save for a beginner’s board? Where would be a good place to buy and what's a good size for me? I'm 5' 8" and 180lbs.
Another maybe stupid question but I'm from the Midwest so the whole ocean thing is fairly new to me even though I already love it. Are there times of the day where the surf is better than others? I know there are charts but have no idea where to find them for my area. So yeah, I'm really a newbie. The other times I went surfing with other people who were much more experienced and didn't focus on teaching me much aside from getting me to be able to stand on the board.
Any help is greatly appreciated!
Thanks!

search and you shall find

Were in RI are you?

This is just my opinion from what I know about surfing in MD and things I've research about the east coast. Note: I've not been to RI.

There are all sorts of breaks around almost every corner. You shouldn't have much trouble finding any, just be careful about which ones you choose. There are beach breaks, points, reefs...look for the sandy bottom slow rollers. RI's got an interesting coastline full of bends and coves, but you're blocked off from any N swells. You're mostly looking at S to SE swells and you'd have to head up to the Cape Cod area for anything N to NE. Get a good map of the coastline and head to places where the winds are blowing offshore (or protected from the wind).

The time of day does not really matter, although, at least in MD the winds are generally lighter in the morning). Every break is going to be affected differently by the tide, wind and swell directions.

Search around for a shop in your area, and look for a board in the 7'8" to 8' range with a full template/outline (buy used, if you can find it, that will save you some $).

I'm in northern Rhode Island. It takes me less than an hour to get to the beaches to the south and about an hour and a half to get to the Cape.