Most of the basics have been covered. Buying them slowly and on sale is a great idea. Harbor Freight does have cheap prices, but you often get what you pay for. They do have their place though.

Best advise is to buy a good quality tool instead of a piece of junk. I know I have often struggled with buying something that was cheaper than what I wanted and then ended up buying the one I really wanted later!

For larger tools consider renting them instead. Sears makes good quality hand tools, very suitable for a home owner that uses them infrequently. I don't particularly like Sears for power tools (often only Sears will sell the consumables that fit) or Black&Decker power tools (cheap crap) IMO. Tools can become an obsession (sort of like knives or guns!) if you let it.

One thing to do is to visit various stores to look at and handle the various tools particularly lower priced and higher priced same tools. Gives you a perspective of what the differences are. Make a buying decision after checking out various brands at different price points.