If you're on a tight budget but need a lot of light, consider a CFL lighting kit. These put out a lot of light (equivalent to 2400 watts), and the large softboxes make the light and shadows beautifully soft.
Use the two softboxes to light from the front, and then use the overhead softbox to light above and slightly behind for professional 3-point lighting.
I used a kit like this for many years and got great results!