What is the best drill set for newbie senior DIYer?

Your best "basic" deal will be at Harbor Freight.

Jane, the followoing links will help you to make thebest decision for you. Remember that you are building a tool set that will be dependable and will allow you to do the jobs you will need to get done. I, too, am a senior DIYer, and know how many different jobs around the house (besides crafts) the tools need to do, but the tools I use are very outdated and heavy (inherited from my Dad after he passed). I hope these links will help you make the best decision for you and your needs> Thanks for using Hometalk, Jane, and good luck with all you do :)

http://lifehacker.com/tool-school-the-absolutely-essential-drill-driver-1697922859

http://lifehacker.com/tool-school-the-absolutely-essential-drill-driver-1697922859

Whatever brand you get,go lightweight. As a woman, I find that it is difficult for me to manage a heavy drill in awkward positions, for instance if I am holding it up in the air over my head. Bigger is not always better.

buy the best quality you can afford when you need to use them. go with a reputable brand. i prefer a non power screw driver....i've had 2 different battery operated ones....each ha their own power pack.. 1 yr later....the power packs failed to charge. a light duty drill will take a screw driver type bit. sanders have 2 basic types a palm sander- square shaped usually, and the other model takes longer piece of sand paper. sanding blocks are great for curved surfaces it's like stiff sponge with sandpaper on all sides.

IMHO.. The best bargain and quite adequate drill motors are the battery type sets made by RYOBI at Home Depot. Their "RYOBI ONE" series of tools use the same batteries and they are not too expensive. You could buy the battery type tools at HARBOR FREIGHT, but these are "usually" bottom tier tools at a VERY low price, but you can always go and check them out in the store.

Black and Decker 20 volt drill set. Less than 100 dollars.

Thanks All for the help!