Shoot me if I am wrong here but I find you can do quite a bit with a couple of key tools.

Drill (It doesn't have to be a cordless) --- $50-60
Router (Get a good one here and you can be far ahead then buying a cheapo) $100-150
Buy bits as you need them, I did buy a set and have used about 2/3's.
Jig Saw $75-150
Hammer $15
Sander (assuming you don't want to hand sand everything but it can be done. $50
Good Quality Square, again a cheapo only will compound the problem. $25+
Chisels - My stanley and buck brothers work fine, need sharpening more often the best though. $25
Plane $25-50

If you can swing it, a TS. You might look used to start or really spend some money a good one. I started with a contractors, owned it about 8 years and sold it for about 50%. I was just fine with that. i know have a cabinet. Would I love to have a Euro model, sure... but there's no dollars in the budget so I will do with what I have.

From these you can build jigs to do a large variety of tasks from planing to jointing to whatever. The other specialized tools just make the job easier and more efficient. I built a hutch and dining room table with about this list. (I didn't own the TS at the time but borrowed a friends).

Once the wife saw I could do it, she let me buy one tool at a time. I would love to say I bought the best, but I bought what I could afford. As my skills got better, so did my tools, and so on and so on.

Look for used it will help soften the blow, assuming the tool is of good quality and condition.

The last thing I would want to see is someone quit becuase they thought they had to buy a $7k Euro saw or $2k bandsaw. You already started what many don't, is to learn the details about a tool and how to maximizes its efficiency and performance.