Prices are down, as I haven't looked for a long time.
If you have $400 you could buy this and pay the sales tax with the money
Dynex® - 32" Class / 720p / 60Hz / LCD HDTV - DX-L32-10A
A 32 inch one isn't the grandiose ones in the ads where they watch football with the neighborhood. But at up to 8 ft of viewing distance it's a nice size. When you view SD content on a 32 inch wide, it's very close to the size of a 27 inch SD TV.
I am not saying anything over 32 is a waste. My kid has a 46 in a big living room and it isn't too big at all (most of the chairs are 10 to 12 ft from the screen). Depends on money, room, etc.