Hi, I'm not certain if this is best put here or in "software," so I hope this is the right place.

I currently use Lightroom Beta 4.1 for my sorting and basic corrections - it's fast and I'm in love with it (well, I really like it a lot )! I then move to Elements 3 (yeah, yeah - I'm poor) - I've got some hacks that allow me to use layer masks, channel mixer, guides, and a few other useful tools, but I definitely notice the absence of actions and the history brush. In a portrait session I shoot 100-400 frames, and use Lightroom to edit that down to 50-150 of my favorites, then use Elements to tweak a bunch of them - adding selective vignettes, soft focus effects, etc.

Lightroom beta expires at the end of the month, so it's time to pony up and bite the bullet - only problem is, I'm on a tight budget for a few months. I can find CS2 used for about $300; Lightroom will be $200 through April. I can't afford to buy both, unfortunately. For the next 29 days I have a free tryout of CS2, so I've got that long to make my decision.

The two options I'm weighing are:
1. Continue as I am - Lightroom rocks! I can use CS2 now to make a few actions that will run in Elements - I know how to do that. Once my CS2 trial ends, I won't be able to make any more.
2. Use Bridge/CS2 exclusively from selecting images to helping clients choose their favorites.

Anyone want to weigh in? How is the CS2 workflow (I'll be learning it over the next little while)? If you use it exclusively, is there anything you regret not being able to do that another program (Lightroom, Aperture, iView) would offer?

If you use Lightroom, are you able to use presets to do artistic effects you might otherwise use actions for?

Thanks for your help!