A former employer used hostgator - and I found their support to be very active and helpful. I know they do a variety of payment plans, and even a pay as you go monthly one.

Personally, I don't know much about templates/site building, which is why I got Splanglefish to do my site - and the build, hosting and domain name came to £40. For that I've got a really neat little site I can play with to my heart's content. I know they do freebies as well - but there are ads on those sites. If you are just looking for something to advertise your services, then I'd wholeheartedly suggest Spanglefish.