I prefer to indeed grind my own beans, freshly ground beans keep an aroma that pre-ground cannot maintain.

Best to store them as airtight as possible, and ideally, use them within a few weeks though.

If you are attempting different brewing methods, I can wholly recommend french press. The equipment is cheap, (I believe I paid 30€ for mine or so)... Preparation takes a while, but an unbeatable aroma. It really has the flavour which you get when you smell a freshly opened bag of roasted beans. Not for every cup of coffee you drink, but for slow savouring definitely my preferred method.