I started my family tree in 1987 when there was no internet and computers, I managed to find most of the ancestors on mine and my ex-husband's side , going back to 1430 on my Dad's direct line. It was hard work back then, travelling alot and spending alot of money on distant research,
Now it's a doddle, it's more Genealogy now than Family History, the names and dates can be added very quickley and the Family History, the occupations, the education etc, is left behind.
But it's all good, so before you invest in an account with one of the online sites at home, visit your local reference library to use their free to members ancestry.co.uk library edition. You can search the GRO index and all census returns 1841-1901 for free on there.