The major meter manufacturers will give you a meter for free, Accu-Chek, Abbot, Ascensia all have dependable meters. I have recently got a new Ascensia Contour Next meter and it is very good.
It will be the price of the strips that cost the most, I am fortunate to get subsidised strips through NDSS here in Australia.
I do not know what Northern Ireland rules are regarding T2's getting them,
There are a few popular meters used by type 2s on here. The cost of the strips is important as they’ll be what you spend most on, so don’t be seduced by offers of ‘free’ meters!
There are also discount codes for when you come to buy more strips - "navii5" and "navii10" will give you 20% off purchases of 5 packs of strips and 25% off 10 packs of strips. Buying a pack of 10 boxes of strips using the discount code works out at £5.68.