I'm building a set of surround (5.1) speakers for a class I'm taking, but I'm on a tight budget ($500). I'd like to build a decent 5-speaker system for now, and add a subwoofer at a later time. I'm by no means an audiophile, but I do know what decent speakers sound like. Is $500 too tight a budget for this project?

Also, recommendations for speakers and plans are HIGHLY appreciated. I'm completely overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information out there, and haven't been able to find a good place to start. Thanks so much!