I thought of a few more things that I have learned so far and want to jot them down before I forget:
Jig saws are easier for me to handle to rip large pieces of wood than a circular saw.
Jig saw blades come in different lengths. You will need one that protrudes from the bottom plate more than two inches to cut cleanly through a 2X4.
If you are using battery operated tools, have more than one battery for that tool. Saves mucho time waiting for a battery to charge, just swap them out!
Measure the size of the blade for a miter saw before you buy a new one. Yours might take a different size blade than a circular saw.
Double check the measurements on your blue prints before cutting wood.
Saw horses make a much more stable cutting platform than a plastic trash can!
These are all I can think of now. Yes I have learned these through my own mistakes so far and hope that my errors help other people not to make the same ones!
I want to thank everyone for your encouragement!
OK off to Home Depot for the next bunch of wood!