I do most of what I do in Paint.net and once in a very long while break out Gimp.  I've tried Gimpshop but it didn't help me at all. 

I'm cheap and these are free.  Paint.net is very polished and easy to use.  If only it could use custom brushes.   ( 

Photoshop CS3 all the way! (And yes, I really did buy it)

I love everything I can do on Photoshop because it's so powerful and easy to use once you get used to it!

There are a bunch of Layer modes to use, (Overlay, Multiply, Screen, etc.)
there's a lot of things you can do with Layer styles like Outer Glow, Inner Glow, Drop Shadow, Bevel/Emboss, Overlays, etc. which make things look so awesome once you tune them.

deviantArt is FULL of user-made brushes for the Photoshop community to use, which I make use of frequently for making neat wallpapers and posters, etc.

I definitely think it's worth its money (if you get an academic discount).

If any of you are in K-12, or in college, you are completely eligible for the academic discount on most of Adobe's products on Academic Superstore. Send in a scan of your drivers license, and your report card (they will also accept your student ID card), and they will process it pretty quickly and Wa-La! $$$ off of MANY products they sell from all kinds of companies besides Adobe.

I got the Adobe CS3 Web Premium for $489.00, whereas retail price is $1599.00.
That is a HUGE difference. Here's a chart for comparing suites: Wikipedia: Adobe Creative Suite 3

Paint.net is tool that i use for making cursors.

For practical everyday all around use Photoshop reigns supreme.

GIMP. It is free, and it is useful. Photoshop I would use, but it costs quite a bit.

I almost like Flash CS3 better for drawing, because I like the way you select different items. (You can select all of a color, or delete just the lines)

So am I. It was a gift...I sure would not have been able to afford it!

Paint Shop Pro here, easy to use with lots of plugins available. I have been using it since version 4 and would never give it up. I tried Adobe Photoshop, way too big of a learning curve and the price of CS3 is absolutely ridiculous.

Photoshop is my program of choice. I still use 7, it was a collaboration between my brother and I. I have Paintshop Pro but feel more comfortable in Photoshop. Guess it's all what you learned with. I do use Paint.net for quickie stuff and it gets better all of the time. I also use Gimpshop as it closely resembles PS7.

Gimp.

I have/use several but mainly PhotoFiltre Studio 9
Paint.net - PSP 7 - Logo Maker

Also use GIMP. It's kind of disappointing that isn't an option because it would be interesting to see the number of users.

i bought photoshop cs3 extended from my brother for 50 bucks.  

Paint Shop Pro X