gagnonrich - now how many of those purchases have you actually used?    i got Carrara 6 really cheap, but i haven't had the time to learn to use it.   i bought Hex for only $1.99, but it didn't agree with me at all.   i have tons of bargains from DAZ i haven't even tried to render.  i have fewer items from here, but they're all things i really wanted instead of got because they were 80% off.  it's easy to forget that even at a few dollars, if you don't use the item, you're wasting money and getting nothing in return. 

i've tempered my DAZ purchases since, but the sales still get me.  with Rendo, on the other hand, the issue is good intentions.   i'll have an image or usage planned, but things sometimes come up.  at DAZ, for some reason, i'm much more influenced by what's hot rather than my own vision.  basically, while my Rendo purchases aren't at 100% usage, they're a lot higher than my DAZ ones.  precisely because DAZ is better at marketing, Rendo is actually better for my budget and my art.