I started looking to get a telescope a while back and a lot of what i read is for beginners to start with some high powered binoculars rather than a telescope.

They are normally quite a bit cheaper, easier to use, and do a great job for a beginner to get the hang and feel for things. Then if you really like star gazing and want to get a bit more serious about it, start looking into a more expensive option.

What I ended up getting was the following:

http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-SkyMaster-Binoculars-Tripod-Adapter/dp/B00008Y0VN/ref=sr_1_4?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1396379520&sr=1-4&keywords=star

Might not be the same model, but they were this brand and looked almost identical to those (I am at work and can not check to be sure).

Try these if you don't want to always use a mount.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00008Y0VN/ref=redir_mdp_mobile