Bob,
One of the first tools I bought was a router and the book "Router Magic". With that I was able to stretch to limit of what my 690 is supposed to handle. IMO you can definitely build the items you are describing with a router table alone, especially with the fence you are talking about, but it will take you a lot longer to build them.
You can use the router table to make nice rip/crosscuts, but its not really what its designed to do. At the very least, get a circular saw. Use that to rough cut your stock and then cut it to size on your router table.
Why would you want to pay $159 for a phenolic top if you are concerned about saving money. Go to the BORG, buy a 4 x 4 sheet of MDF and some Watco and screw your 690 to it. Use some saw horse to support it, you don't even need a cabinet. That will save you space and the price of a circular saw.
Like I said, I did almost everything with my router when I first started. Get some books, do some researh. You definitely need to go to Pat Warner's website to read what he has to say, especially before you buy a router table.
formatting link
Good luck!
Chuck