HDTV prices have finally fallen to the point where someone in my relatively humble income bracket can afford one—almost. I am not talking about top-of-the line plasma, like the NEC 42XR4, but with prices for 32-inch LCD panels dropping under $800, I am officially in the market. I just need some cash that isn't already allocated to rent, credit card payments, or, well, rent. That is where the damn cursing comes in.

Cursing, as everyone knows, is inappropriate. (Most of the time.) Swears sound particularly offensive coming from mouths of the young and relatively untroubled, like my 12 year-old stepson, Emmet. Still, everyone slips from time to time. Instead of mere reprimands, everyone in the house has agreed to pay $1 for every curse. The money, of course, goes toward the purchase a brand new HD-ready LCD TV.

It has to be an LCD for two reasons. First of all, I can't really afford a plasma, this whole thing relies me getting a TV for less than $1,000. Perhaps more importantly, my living room is very bright and I don't have shades or curtains to block out the sunlight. If I want the TV to be viewable during the day, I am going to need a nice, bright LCD. In terms of low-cost models Westinghouse and Proview have consistently scored well on our tests. That is probably the way to go.

Right now, my main TV is a 19-inch CRT with no composite or component inputs. I need to use a coaxial adapter just to use the PlayStation 2. Not good for a Consumer Electronics editor. It has gotten to the point where I am tempted to come into PC Magazine's Labs on the weekends just to watch movies on the gorgeous HP Pavilion md5880n test system. That simply won't do.

Unfortunately, progress has been slow. So far, there is just $14 in the kitty. And that includes the first contribution in which Emmet, smitten with the idea of a TV upgrade and unable to break a ten dollar bill, proceeded to spit out a profane rant of Chappell-like proportions. Deadwood's season ended, so my language will be cleaner. At this rate, it will be well into next year before I get my TV.

Or I could decide to let Emmet play Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and have my new TV by Thanksgiving.

Dan Costa is the Consumer Electronics Editor at PC Magazine and a host of Gearlog Radio; check back every Thursday for his take on the world of consumer electronics.