The Frugal Student: Get Microsoft Office 2010 for $80

Money is often tight in college, and so students have developed many creative ways to save money. Unfortunately between productivity software like Microsoft Office and media software like Photoshop, computer software is often a big expense for students. Luckily software companies tend to recognize student need for software, and offer a lot at greatly reduced student pricing. Using the websites below you should never have to pay full price for software as a student again.

Every year near the start of school, Microsoft starts up their Ultimate Steal promotion, where you can get the latest version of Office for pennies compared to a regular license, and all you need is a valid email address at a recognized post-secondary institution. For $80 you get a license key for the new 2010 version of Office, which includes all the regular fare plus OneNote, which is a great note-taking application for students. The license key is valid on two computers at any time. Get Microsoft Office 2010 for $80 here. You can also get a copy of Windows 7 Professional for $40. This is great to either upgrade your current Windows 7 installation for additional features, or to send home to Mom and Dad as a Christmas gift, as it would cost them $200 to buy it.

Adobe is well known for pricing their design software to professional designers and graphics artists, leaving students with almost no choice but to pirate their software. That’s fine and all for the casual user, but for design students or people using the software for commercial applications, there is a big appeal to having a legit license, including less hassle and updates. You can get a copy of Photoshop CS5 Extended Edition for $200. Or, for the photographically inclined student, a $90 copy of Photoshop Lightroom 3 is a great addition to any photographers toolkit.

If neither of the above really apply to you, you can still get the Elements 8 Bundle for , which includes Photoshop Elements 8 and Premiere Elements 8. Both pieces of software are great for students, from editing last night’s party pictures to splicing together a professional looking video about your family vacation, anyone can benefit from this deal.

Look for Discounts in your Campus Bookstore

Campus bookstores often carry great deals on various computer hardware and software, because almost all of their customers are students. Apple is well-known for giving student discounts or bundling their computers with a free iPod or printer. As a student, you should rarely have to pay full retail price on computer software.