I also forgot to ask... what kind of photography do you plan on using this camera for?
My D300s is great, and takes amazing photos...
But it's big, heavy, cumbersome and not exactly the best for toting around on a daily basis for those random "hey check this out!" type of shot...
So I've found my camera phone gets used for most of those "stumbling around town and just found this neat spot I need to come back to" type of photos.
Do you want to carry your camera every day? There are some amazing point and shoots out there that you can carry in a cargo pocket, your lady's purse (my favorite haha), or even on your hip. I've got photos from my old Nikon point and shoot that I've had blown up to a poster size (I forget the dimensions, around 2' tall) that are gorgeous. No way to distinguish between those and my larger photos from my D80 too. What sizes do you want to print? Do you need a camera that can print 5' tall? Or will 8x10s be enough?
You can answer these questions and maybe find a quality point and shoot will be a great fit for you, and will leave you money left over for things like a case, spare batteries, SD cards, baby-tripods, etc.