Buying Cheaper Software
Do you really need the latest, most expensive software?

When it comes to software, most of what we find in the high street is of the latest releases. But I had to ask myself if I really needed to have the latest most up-to-date software and would I be better off looking on the Internet for older or alternative versions? After all, I want my software to do a specific job and I am not really that interested in all the latest "bells and whistles" that I would be paying often quite a lot extra bucks! And then there’s the second-hand market. Most people use their CDs to load software maybe once or twice, so it is unlikely there would be a lot of wear and tear.

Take Adobe Photoshop, one of the most comprehensive, yet most expensive photo-editing software you can buy at around £400. Did I really need this version aimed at professional photographers? Not really, but I would like a lot of the capabilities of this program and if a cheaper software would work with my current Windows XP, I would be quite happy.  Step in Adobe Photoshop Elements. A program that would make Dynamic slide shows, that had a Magic Selection Brush, Auto Red Eye Fix , Skin Tone Adjustment and lots more.

And then we look at Microsoft Office. Now the latest 2003 edition is going to set you back around £350 and that would be cut price. Yet if you were to go for the Student and Teacher Edition, you could get it for around £90 or if you are willing to go for a used version you can get one on Amazon or Ebay from around £70.

On the right, I have place an Amazon search box. To use it, simply enter any product you are looking for, this will open the Amazon Page (please note: there is one for UK and one for the USA). Once on this page, you will there are links to new, used and alternative products.  To make further price comparisons, if you are in the U.K. you can also use the Kelko.co.uk search at the top of the page or Google below.

Good software hunting & thanks for reading.

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