I agree, for a single man, amateur who's just getting into it, it is a bit much to spend. I certainly felt the same way about Photoshop when it was the first application that I'd ever used.
The thing about commercial licenses, is that they never take the scale of the purchaser's business into account.
However, the thing is, is that when you *are* selling your artwork, the software is overhead, and by selling a picture or two, you should be able to earn it back