Ok, I've had a stick shift all of 4 days now, and the only reliable way I've managed not to stall out at traffic lights and such is to leave the car in 1st with the clutch down all the way (and I'm not asking about that, it's a debate for another day) and the brake depressed, and when I know my light is about to turn green I ease up on the clutch until I know it catches the friction point (or whatever, very very new to this stuff) and then take my other foot off the brake and press the gas. I try not to hold the clutch partway down for more than 2-3 seconds total (releasing as soon as I hit the gas), but my question is just how bad is this for my car? Am I looking at 10k miles off the life of the clutch, or 50k?

 

Try this for practice.
Go to a slightly inclined area, like a parking lot. (you want to be going UP the incline)
From neutral, engage the clutch, and shift into first...
Now, try to balance the clutch and the gas, so that the car isn't moving forward or backward.
Once you've got it balanced, try easing the balance to gas (letting the clutch out slowly)
You'll start to move forward.

I sometimes do this at stoplights too. especially if its a steep incline.

Do this balance excercise to get a feel for the clutch/gas relationship.