For messing around with circuits, I'd like to get a solderless breadboard, jumper wires, and an assortment of electronic components. Is it best to buy these separately, or are there good kits that combine all these basics? I think I'd prefer a larger breadboard so that I'm not cramped for space and don't have to take apart one circuit to build another.

I have some related tools such as a soldering iron, third hand, swivel vise, basic multimeter, and lots of POTS telephone cable.

 

Buy separate so you only buy what you need/want. I have a 2 or 3 dozen solderless breadboards. Some have a wide channel to accommodate packages like DIP32. Some are standalone, some interconnect, some are mounted on panels with power connectors, some are part of "experimenters" that have switches, LEDs, clock generaters, etc.

I'm not a fan of pre-made jumpers. It's more convenient and cheaper to make my own.

I'm also not a fan of part assortments. I just end up with parts I'll probably never use. But I also buy most of my parts in large quantity, so I still have parts I'll probably never use. BTW, I have a plug for a component bartering group I moderate in the Marketplace forum.