Lenses for canon eos 550d body.

[Kombi]

I have a 550d as well, only really started playing with camera more this year.
While still on a budget consider renting lenses for days you will know you will be doing a trip.

Locally I can rent a 100-400L or 70-300L for $40 for the weekend.

you might want to rent a lens a weekend or 2 and try what will work for you.

What works for me with my 550 and my budget
is EF-S 10-22 landscapes and indoors (ordering Thursday) , 24-105L general all purpose lens (bought used), 100-400L wildlife (rental)

My kit lens was the 18-55 and was pleased with it until I tried an L lens, I replaced it with the 24-105L and no longer even bring the kit lens with me.
The other lens I started with and still use when not renting is the 55-250, This lens, although not fantastic does get some very decent results.

Basically as stated in posts above buy the fastest highest quality lens you can afford.

Not sure I like that last sentence.

It's very much about buying the right tool for the job, not just about buying the highest quality and fastest you can afford.

Yes, agreed, perhaps poorly phrased on my behalf.
I'll try and illustrate.
With my initial budget and camera knowledge I bought the 55-250 IS
for the most part it'll do the same job as the 70-200 f/4.0 L.
Although it will do the job, for a few dollars more I think you will find that you can get more consistent result with the 70-200 f/4.0 L for the effort you put in.
If you have the budget stepping up to the 70-200 f/2.8 or IS versions will expand your range of uses.
So, basically, as stated in posts above buy the fastest highest quality lens you can afford, suitable to your subject matter.