I can do better than that too...I'm also rather new to bitcoins, my brother got me interested in them. I'm not mining at all as I don't have the hardware but have gotten a little bit from random faucets. My earnings is still super low though and won't be valuable until perhaps one day the bitcoin becomes much more valuable.
People tell me it will get much much more valuable, and so I am also thinking about actually spending real money and buying some.
I wouldn't count on bitcoin becoming more valuable anytime soon. Your best bet would be to find a strong alt coin to mine and hold.