as far as cutting the leaves off or not, some people do and some dont. i prefer to take all fan leaves off, and trim all around the buds at harvest time. its just easier to do it when you chop instead of trying to do it when its dry.
if you cant get any good jars this year, just use anything you have around the house that is air tight. i have heard a lot of people say to use glass and not plastic containers, so i have always used glass. just make sure to dry, cure and store your product in a cool, dry, dark place.
the jars i have came from the christmastree shop for like 3 bucks a piece and i have 3 different sizes. when the jars are about 3/4 full, the smallest holds about an oz., the next about 1-1/2 oz. and the next about 2 oz or a little more.