This year is perhaps the first year I have purchased software. Previously application purchases were left up to my parents or (gasp) Usenet. That’s changed a lot this year, and I’ve finally cleaned up my act (for the most part). So, without further ado, here’s the list.

My 2006 Application Purchases

• Assignment Planner – Has been invaluable in keeping track of the many assignments I receive at Penn State.
• AppZapper – I use it all of the time to cleanup applications I have been testing.
• BetterZip – It’s basically WinZip for Mac, but without the unneeded bloat. It has some handy features such as stripping the Mac resources files from created archives.
• Cha-Ching – Didn’t technically buy it, but received it in a MacHeist heist. It’s been perfect for keeping track of my personal finances.
• CSSEdit2 – Used it for my web design class and redesigning cavemonkey50.com. Wouldn’t have been able to work on websites as fast as I did without it.
• Disco – While most people will say there are better free alternatives, I still like Disco. I love the animations, and it really does make burning a million times easier.
• Flickr iPhoto Export – The most convenient way to get my photos from iPhoto into my Flickr account. A little pricey, but it seems to have been worth it.
• MacHeist Bundle – Delicious Library, FotoMagico, iClip, Newsfire, and TextMate – These are all great applications which I didn’t have before MacHeist and have worked their way into my regularly used applications.
• OmniOutliner Pro – Been using it since I got my MacBook. I take all my class notes with it, and its search function makes studying a breeze.
• Parallels – While I love my Mac, I can’t escape Windows at Penn State. I’ll occasionally need to boot up Windows to test a website in IE, or program a C++ program. For those times, Parallels has done the job exceptionally.
• Pukka – Cheap application for bookmarking to Del.icio.us.
• Synergy – I use it almost every second to control iTunes and submit my listened tracks to Last.fm.
• Transmit – No other FTP app stands a chance.

Upcoming Purchases in 2007

• Adobe CS3 Educational – I pretty much require this now with all the web work I do. Looking forward to CS3 being so much faster on an Intel Mac.
• Leopard – This is given. Though, I probably won’t install it until my next semester is over.
• Microsoft Office 2007 Education Version – If Microsoft can get Office 2007 out on Mac this year, I will be buying it.
• TextMate – I love this application so much that I’ll be buying the updated version for Leopard.
• Xtorrent – As soon as Xtorrent is publicly released, I’m buying it. It’s the only Mac torrenting app worth using.

There’s my list, now what have you bought or are planning to buy?

What makes this bundle awesome is it only costs $49 ($39 if you’ve been participating in the heists) for over $288.75 worth of software. To top it off, MacHeist is donating 25% of your bundle purchase to the charity of your choice. But wait, there’s more. If MacHeist can raise $50,000 for donation, they’re throwing in Newsfire. If they reach $100,000, TextMate is included. Both of the bonus applications will be given to previous purchasers should MacHeist reach their goal.

So, what are you waiting for? This is the shareware deal of a lifetime. There’s bound to be a couple of applications in there that you find interesting. If you already have an application or don’t have a need for it, you can even gift it to someone else. The sale goes on until next Monday, so be sure to purchase before time runs out.