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So you've been in adult for a while now and you're starting to make some money; you're thinking that it's time to upgrade your equipment but just what should you upgrade to?

That's a stage that most of us go through when we're first starting out. We've all stepped into the industry with really basic equipment and we'd like get our hands on some of that cool looking gear that we see in the shops and other webmasters talk about having, but is it really time to go a little crazy?

Perhaps it is time to go a little crazy and invest some of that hard earned money in some new equipment. But it's also time to take a cold shower and suppress those dreams of flashing lights, monitors that stretch from one side of your desk to the other and processing power that could send men to the next galaxy simply because you don't really need it.

You have to look at this from a business point of view because you are running a business and in business you keep your costs down. You invest money into equipment that will do what you want it to do and no more than that. While that may sound a little dull and boring that's got to be your focus if you want to succeed.

Sure, spend money on good solid equipment but don't waste your money on capacity that you don't really need. Instead put the money you save away for a rainy day or invest it in other areas that will help your business grow.

So what should you spend that money on? Well that depends on exactly what you're doing in this industry. If you're a graphic designer then high-end monitors are important but if all you're doing is affiliate marketing then basic flat-screen monitors are fine.

You will notice that I used the plural there and I did that for a reason. You see having two monitors is one of the best ways there is to increase your productivity. Lots of people don't believe that but once you've worked with two monitors you will never want to go back to just one.

Of course two monitors require a dual-head graphic card and once again you can buy a basic one for around $100 or you can invest a lot of money for capacity that you don't really need unless you're a graphic designer.

If you've been using a PC up until now think about adding a laptop to your equipment. While we spend a lot of hours working on our PC both Steve and I have a laptop and that gives us the freedom to work away from home and away from the office when we need to. During summer it's nice to be able to take the laptop outside and work on our tans as well as whatever we're doing for our clients.

Software is another area where you should be thinking about spending some money to improve your productivity. High end programs such as Dreamweaver may be expensive but they can cut a lot of time from the daily grind of building galleries and free sites. The same goes for graphic programs but once again, don't spend more than you have to. If all you're going to be doing is manipulating images then you don't really need something like Photoshop but if the production of graphics is where you're heading then Photoshop is almost a necessity.

Don't be in a rush to change your operating system either. I know that Vista sounds really cool and it does all sorts of great things but it also does some bad things too. It doesn't work with lots of old software and so it can end up costing you a lot more than you think. XP might be boring but it still works and if isn't broken there's very little reason to change.

There are some other important things that you might think about spending some money on and none of them are directly related to your computer.

Think about a good office chair. It's somewhere that your body is going to be parked for long periods of time every day so make sure you can sit in genuine comfort. We gave up using typists' chairs years ago and these days work in high back chairs that provide all the body support we need.

We find that no matter what we spend on one of these chairs they never seem to last more than 12 months so we don't go overboard when we're shopping for one. It is possible to spend many hundreds of dollars on a chair but there's not much point if it's only going to last as long as one that will set you back $150.00.

A good desk is also important so if you've been working at the dining table maybe now is the time to invest in something that you can call your own. Once again you can spend many hundreds of dollars on a desk and sometimes that amount is justified. Alternatively you might find some portable picnic tables from the hardware store is better suited to your needs.

Don't laugh at that suggestion because you would see it in action if you came into our offices. I work at a normal office desk but Steve - because he likes to spread out - works on two folding tables. They're much longer than the average desk, they sit at the right height for him and he loves them ... but then I love my desk. So it's got to be a choice that works for you.

And that's the bottom line when it comes to spending your extra income. Whatever you buy should add to your productivity but not waste your money ... and at the same time it should definitely work for you.