Just saw this thread and I can't help jumping in as I did exactly the same thing last winter. I bought my laminate from Ikea, it's cheap and the quality is not bad, I like the color too. Check them out.
As for power tools, I got both circular saw and jig saw total $100. You don't need to get the fancy name brand. Circular saw is used to do ripping and straight cross section cut. Jig saw is needed for corners/door jambs.
One tricky aspect is to level the sub floor. When I removed the carpet, I found that the sub floor in some rooms are not flat and I have to level it with leveling compound.
Hope this helps.