Which lens is best for Nikon D7000?

I'm completely new to DSLRs and am purchasing a Nikon D7000 in a month or so… Early birthday gift (:

Anyways, I plan on doing pretty much everything. Portraits, animals, plants, still life, etc. I also plan on shooting raw, though I'll probably use both memory card slots to save both raw and jpeg copies. Which lens(es) should I purchase to start off? I know they can be very pricey. So if you guys know of any lenses with good glass that are relatively cheap (I'm hoping for under $300 maybe?) please help!

Added (1). Thanks for clarifying prices a bit more. I had no idea =/

So if I were to purchase a lens from $400-$500, what would you guys recommend?

First you need some education in lenses. There aren't any really good lenses for that money.
Good quality glass is very expensive because it's expensive to grind.

Better save your pennies until you get in the neighborhood of $400 to $600 for your first Nikon lens.

The best recommended lens for the D7000 would be the 18-200 mm VR, however it costs closer to $800.

Here is a link to the lenses the D7000 can use. Their costs are listed

http://www.nikonusa.com/...index.page

About the only Nikon lenses in your price range are the AF 50mm f1.4 for around $549.00 or the AF 50mm f1.8 for around $140.00. Although not zoom lenses you'll find that a fast prime will really help your creativity and you'll learn a lot about composition. This is how those of us who started in photography 30 or 40 years ago did it. If we wanted a closer view we walked forwards. If we wanted a wider view we walked backwards. As Ernst Haas said: "The best wide-angle lens? Two steps backwards. Look for the 'ah ha' ".

NOTE: If you can afford the 50mm f1.4 it will be a better long-term investment. It will also perform better wide-open than the f1.8 lens. On a cropped sensor DSLR like the D7000 a 50mm lens is a good portrait lens. Either lens will auto focus on your D7000.