I like to dabble from time to time. I've got various programs that I'll use as I can't afford PhotoShop, but I love graphic design and I'm always mocking stuff up and editing things. I only mess about taking stuff with my camera on my phone and I couldn't justify paying out for a good camera as I just wouldn't use it enough.
My avatar was created through a few of these programs.
Microsoft Paint, IrfanView and GIMP2 are all cracking programs that I'll make use of. It's more laborious than PhotoShop, but I can get something like the same results.