MacBook Pro retina with 256GB or 512GB?

I currently have a macbook (late 2009), and after 4-5 years it's finally carked it. It has 2.26GHz intel core duo processor, 2GB RAM and 256GB hard drive.
I've finally decided on getting a macbook pro and not the air. Also that 8GB RAM should be well enough for me.
Now my next decision is whether or not to get the 256GB or the 512GB. On my current macbook I almost maxed out the 256GB until I totally cleaned out my hard drive, now have 80GB spare.
The cheaper 256GB has 2.4GHz i5 processor, while the 512GB has a 2.6GHz i5 processor. Is there much difference with the processor?
If there's not, I was thinking of just getting the 256GB macbook pro and buying an external hard drive if need be. Would this be a good idea?
Any opinions would be greatly appreciated, thanks
Also, I'm talking about a 13 inch MacBook Pro with retina display.

Kristy,
I wouldn't worry about the processor speed. The new one will be so much faster than your old one that you'll be more than happy with it. The bigger question is the SSD size. If you're careful with what you store on the machine, 256 will be enough. That said, if it were me, I'd probably go with the 512. I know some of the others on here are adamant about moving stuff off the main drive, but for me it's a matter of convenience. I like the extra storage, and for $300 I think it's worth it.
You will want an external for backups though, and it's a good idea to have more than one.

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