Some suggestions from someone who recently remodeled the kitchen in his 50 year old house (which hadn't been previously updated in probably 30 years):
Appliances - while I love Craigslist for great deals, when it comes to appliances, I feel better having that brand-new condition and the warranty. My solution? Sears Outlet (as well as other scratch-n-dent places). You can get brand new appliances with a warranty for anywhere from 20% to 70% off! I scored my dual-fuel range from Sears Outlet over their Labor Day sale 1 1/2 years ago for $750. Brand-new price? $2,200. It was the closet-out model, and had been purchased/returned (but clearly not used). They have tons of deals on everything....and like I said, check out the internet for local scratch-n-dent places that buy them by the truckload at low prices. Some have bigger flaws than others, but you can find some great deals for never used appliances.
There are also some great deals online for everything from exhaust hoods to handle pulls - I found my hood for just $600, from some place in NY. Sleek contemporary design with black curved glass. And when it comes to handle pulls, you'd be surprised how cheaply you can find those nice looking pulls that run $5 each even at places like Lowe's!
Countertops - I found my granite from a local place that buys imperfect full slabs that get damaged in shipment as well as remnant slabs. As a result, you don't have the full square footage available....but I wanted a 2-tone look anyway (island with one color, wall countertops another color). This worked perfect with this dealer, who sold me my 3cm granite for about $40/sq ft installed (including sink cutout, half bullnose edge). Also, the mainstream granite places might have some remant pieces available at a lower cost if you wanted to do a 2 color pattern.