Make a wise investment buy Design It Yourself: Logos,Letterheads,and Business Cards: The Non-Designer's Step-by-Step Guide by Chuck Green. Not only you will learn what software to use, but also there will be tons of talented samples you can use and change. I still use template from the book (just tweaked a little) and get compliments all the time. Even if you end up paying for the designs this book will be a good help in understanding how it should look like.
Logo is a something I would recommend to pay for. Not only new logo “fashion” is very simple and schematic but also you want to look unique. You can go to Elance.com and get a quote or few; there are also logo templates online, but nothing unique.