I always find that the cheapest crossings are Dover to Dunkirk or Calais.
Followed by the tunnel.
Then the further west the departure port is the more expensive it becomes.
I have only ever paid one French road toll as we don't use the motorways, but the I rarely have an exact destination in mind, so I'm in no rush.
As Paul says, don't stay overnight in motorway service stations, it won't be far to a lovely village with an 'aire du camping car' which will provide all you need if you do want to stay overnight.
As always follow your gut, if you don't feel comfortable, don't stay.
There are loads of Aires listed here, but you can also buy books with them listed in, so you can look and choose which one to aim for each night.
You need to take your log book & insurance details with you and carry things like reflective jackets for each person in the veihcle, but you can buy all that in an EU kit from places like Halfords.
You also are supposed to have beam deflectiors fitted to you headlamps at all times. However my ones are in the glove box and haven't fitted them for the last 2 trips, we haven't driven at night but nobody has said anything.