Here in America the general population spends WAY WAY too much money on kitchens.
I LOVE that we still have the freedom to do that and if you want that by all means enjoy yourself. However, my point is the paradigm hass shifted WAY over to pure excess from what you really "need" in a kitchen and most people aren't even aware of how little you can get by on. If you have never seen how little people get away with in a kitchen in places like central and south america and southeast Asia you should search around on line sometime and take a look.
What do you really NEED:
Gas burner--two top
Sink
Frig
Some storage which can be a basic shelf
Some counter space to prepare things
What you WANT:
Oven
Microwave
Cabinets
Dishwasher
What most people GET:
Custom cabinets below and above counter---enough for about ten times more stuff than they "need"
Granite or some other expense counter top
High end stove, the more burners the better and preferably a double oven (for those 2-3 times a year you cook for family)
SS dishwasher that costs twice the basic model
Oversized Frig with everything from a cake drawer, to water dispenser
Tile backsplash
Etc. Etc. You get the picture.
Now, if you live in a $200-300+K home and are going to sell one day you may need the kitchen you have, or want to remodel into, but if you are done moving you can get away with so much less money in a remodel by being creative with materials and not going overboard with stuff in it. Which is what it sounds like this thread is all about and what people here are already doing. This is one example of a kitchen I love that takes this all a step further:
Counter tops: Nice wood resembling a butcher block, but this looks homemade
Cabinets: repurposed office file drawers with some DIY woodwork around them, basic open shelve above
Classic subway tile back splash (a splurge, but really makes it look nice for ~$200)
Simple gas burner with ventilation
Original wood floors
Basic sink
Small frig (see that tiny SS sliver in the bottom right of the photo)
Dish washer--see that wire rack there
No oven. (won't work for everyone, but those little counter top versions work for many people)
Kitchen table is positioned to serve as an island for extra counter space
This kitchen looks awesome, would be a classic in many homes (not all), very functional, everything you need, nothing you don't. Wouldn't surprise me if someone could do it with craigslist for under $1K.
BTW, full disclosure, I have a pretty decent traditional kitchen in my rental (primary residence) and my wife loves the big pretty kitchen. We are in the due diligence phase of buying a small warehouse to convert into a home and this is an example of the kitchen I will be installing there.
Just to make things clear...I'm not judging you if you want all the bells and whistles in your own kitchen, that's awesome, enjoy it! I am sensitive to some people on these very boards making value judgments against others based on what they want to spend money on...I don't intend to do that in this post (or ever), though I admit I sound a little preachy in the beginning.