Inexpensive smart plug (US) and other device recommendations needed for newbie

the zigbee part is easy. Start the SmartThings pairing from the app and then plug it in. It should find it. Verify it works by plugging a lamp or something into it, turning it on and off from the app and making sure the power draw changes and the device turns on and off.

The z-wave part can be tricky. From the linked thread:

"Second: The Z-Wave repeater

Once you have the Zigbee Plug added into SmartThings you can go back to add the Z-wave repeater. In order to do this, first start the pairing mode by selecting ‘Connect New Device’ within the Marketplace in the SmartThings app. Once the hub is searching for a new device, hold down the button on the front of the Iris Smart Plug until the light begins to blink, this should only take a few seconds. Some users have reported than holding down the button doesn’t work and instead they needed to tap the button 8 times rapidly in order to get it into pairing mode. Once the light is blinking SmartThings should discover the repeater as a ‘Z-Wave Device’. This is the proper devicetype for the repeater"