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This is a lot of questions to answer all at once.

First up, I'd just start getting all 5 gallon ball lock corny kegs. It doesn't really matter if you're putting 1 gallon or 5 gallons into them and it'll give you more flexibility. They're also cheaper in a lot of cases than the smaller versions (because you can get them used). Since you already ordered one ball lock, stick with them so you can use the same disconnects on all of your kegs. I'd get one more ball lock for now, if you can swing it ($65-$70ish).

Next, you need to get some fittings. Google "Ball Lock Quick Disconnects" and get a few sets of those. MFL is great for interchangeability; barb is cheaper because it saves you on fittings. If you're on a budget, just get the barbed disconnects. I'd get two sets of these (a set is one grey "gas" and one black "beverage"). ($20).

Next, you need a bottle of CO2 and a regulator. Since you're penny pinching, get a single-pressure regulator. ($50). You'll also need a manafold to provide pressure from your single regulator to multiple kegs at once. Figure out how many beers you're going to want to have on and then get a manafold with the matching number of lines. This will be $10-$20. Go to a local welding store and get a bottle of CO2. You're "renting" the bottle if you do it this way, so the up-front cost is higher than the realized cost. The cost of the gas itself is going to be ($7-$10). A 5# bottle will be better, but you can make this work with a 2.5# bottle as well.

Then, all you need is some tubing and a cobra tap. Get 3/16" line for your beer and 5/16" for your gas. Both of those should be well under $1/foot. You want about 10' of 3/16" per keg you're serving and as short a length of 5/16" to go from your regulator to manafold and your manifold to kegs as possible. Total, all of the line should be ($10ish). A cobra tap is ($3-$4) per, so that depends on how many kegs you want to serve at a time.

If my math is right, that'll put you at about $190 and you'll be able to serve two beers at a time. Each additional beer will cost about $15 to get flowing (so $205 to have 3 beers at once, $220 to have 4 at once, etc.).

The real key is temp control though. If you want to just get the kegs cold the day before you serve you can. It's not ideal (and you'll have to burn more CO2 to keep those warm kegs carbonated) but you can do it. You're going to want to peruse craigslist and find an old fridge/chest freezer sooner rather than later though. They can be had for cheap. If you get a chest freezer, you'll need a temperature controller to convert it to a fridge.

YVW.

links to stuff:

• $70 Active Air inline
  
• $110 Apollo 3x3
  
  I'm adding a thing. Get a programmable thermostat. It's $40. Hook your exhaust fan to it, and set it for 75 degrees (mine go off at 73, and on at 78). Change that number, if you are in winter, or summer. . .these plants do fine as long as their range isn't huge. You can flower at 80 degrees, or 65.
  
  okay, enough typing. hope this goes amazing for you. if nothing else. . .you'll have the right gear. especially the right light and a reliable inline. that's 90% of worries.

Dude, get a STC1000 Temperature Controller eire it up and get a Heat Cable I set it to say 60 f and forget about it. All for about $30 and if your not good with electronics get a Inkbird Temperature Controller. Put the cider someplace cool and that's it oh and get a mini fridge. And if it's just a 1 gallon batch I got this crock pot plugged into my stc 1000.

Inkbird

Get an inkbird. Will turn on/off based on your temp you set.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077N22T3W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_WLLWAbRZQ3MNF

The Inkbird or whatever controller you end up using will have a temperature probe to put in the thermowell you are going to use.

https://www.amazon.com/Temperature-Controller-Thermostat-Inkbird-Digital/dp/B077N22T3W/ref=sr_1_9?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1519254178&sr=1-9&keywords=inkbird


If you look at the picture in the link above, the cord with the silver tip is the temp probe that you will put into the thermowell to be able to measure the temp of the wort.

Easily. I mean, if your situation is unlinke mine, you could taste test after a day or two and see where it's at and cut it when it's what you're shooting for.

My set up for sours is really pretty simple. I have a dedicated PET carboy with a carboy heatwrap and an InkBird temp controller. It's super efficient as far as I'm concerned. Just wish I had something for cooling down rather than just relying on ambient basement temp to cool, just haven't found the right fridge to gut or any other reason to jump up into a keezer build.

I typically pitch my wort directly onto the fruits I'm using, as that increases my contact time, as well as gives ample time to get the majority of the sugars fermented out, as to preclude bottle bombs. I've only tried to cheat and add the fruit after the primary souring once or twice as an attempt to knock down the temp faster when it's wamer, like summer time.

I like to think that this is somewhere in between kettle souring and "proper" souring, as I'm not killing anything before it goes into the bottle, but I am also not aging for months on end. Ultimately, I can't complain with the results I've gotten so far. I think Jeff and the guys at Bootleg are killing it and the products they're making are super high quality. I recommend my technique, because it works for me, but I'm sure there are some other brewers who scoff or have better set-ups for doing quick sours.