The stones are a great investment. I'm sort of a novice freehander myself and have a patchwork setup of stones, but they are very satisfying. I found the old schrade super sharp bowie that my folks gave me years ago when I was really young the other day. It was so dull it was ripping cardboard when I started, and buy the end it was sharp enough to shave with (though not as sharp as my folders that I've spent more time with). I'm sure we've watched many of the same freehand videos on youtube, but if you haven't seen them jdavis882 has tons of great ones that should help sell you on it.
You can also sort of piece together a set bit by bit like I've done for moderate results without breaking the bank so to speak. I actually use the stones from a lansky guided system freehand (usually in a vise or similar setup for stability since they are small) for the rougher grits at the moment (about $30), a spyderco double stuff that never leaves my pocket (~$25), and a homemade strop I built ($5 for scrap leather from a local saddle maker, a paint stirrer, rubber cement, and however much a little green compound costs). Its far from ideal, but it can definitely help you get a feel for it and learn or at least it helped me. I would definitely recommend bigger or more secure stones as you can afford it though, sharpening tougher steels on small difficult to secure stones can definitely be taxing on the stabilizer muscles in your wrists.
