kevin i think your right about it seeming a little more in canadaina dollars - cuz here some stuff is a lot cheaper.. and some stuff is a lot more expensive. here that much would be me a steak dinner and a pint or two of lager but thats just the way it is. But why im asking about this is because Im quite young and dont really have any income coming in (although I got my first real job interview next week ). So I need to spend my money wisely.. but Maya is what I want to do for a career, so if this will help me learn, then well its an awesome investment! hehe hope I never offended you.. this is the greatest Maya site I have been to by far, and I plan on sticking around. But i gotta pritect the little money that i do have at this age. I will probably sign up for the VIP area later on after i do some of the built in tuts, and free tuts from here. by then I might have that job also hehe thanks eveyrone