Wal-Mart is a great place to get patch-kits and tubes ... a Lot less mark-up than bike shops, and very convenient. I carry a little patch kit and some glueless patches with me all the time.
I bought some valve stem adapter on EBay for next to nothing ... and I have also heard that you can use the knurled ring that comes with Presta-valve tires to tighten the stem into place so it will not cut on the rim hole, but I am not sure ... once I bought the adapters i didn't see a need for testing the other method.
Also, make sure your pump accepts Presta ... you can also buy adapters for that really cheap. Wal-mart sometimes carries them, EBay always does.