If there’s one thing I seem to subconsciously hate, it’s money in my pocket. Maybe it’s some sort of curable affliction? Is there a pill or an injection for this? I get antsy the second I’m able to afford something I want (rarely need), and in retrospect, I’ve spent money on a lot of useless crap. Now, on the flip side of that coin, I must say that I’ve gotten a lot better on taking my time to consider my want/need factor; here are a few of my favorite purchases from 2008. (Though some of these were just outright “I-want-that!” purchases… I really need to be restrained…)

Freshly scarred from a recent hard drive failure, I quickly picked up a Western Digital 250 GB portable hard drive. This has proven itself to be an invaluable resource when backing up files at the office, and taking them on the road. Worth every penny.

On a traveling-gadget binge, I picked up a Belkin Mini Surge Protector. This features three grounded power outlets, and two USB charging outlets. It also has a rotating power prong for when you’re traveling and the hotel room your staying in only has one of those power outlets on the side of a lamp. I don’t travel from home without this.

Next up was a Blurr Docket Organizer. This thing saved me a number of times- whenever I travel for work, I now have a place to store all of my receipts, boarding passes, and hotel/airline membership cards. Highly recommended.

This summer, I finally splurged for a Sirius subscription, and it’s remained my favorite purchase of the year. It even comes with online access, which I listen to all day at work and keeps me in a great working rhythm. (That, and I don’t have to clog my workstation with downloaded music, which is the real plus here.)

Next to be purchased was an iPhone 3G. What can I say that hasn’t been said about this thing? Love it, changed my life… yadda, yadda, yadda.

Finally, my most recent (for-personal use) splurge was a 24″ Dell Monitor to compliment my MacBook Pro. I’ve recently started doing a few small freelance projects here and there, and trying to work off of a laptop is infuriating. With plenty of real estate (1920 x 1080), and full-HD, this helps speed things along.