Every college student out there should have Microsoft Office Home & Student version.  What you’re going to find out is that just about every class that you take is going to require Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and on occasions, you may have to work with databases, etc.

If you don’t already have it installed on your computer, I wanted to showcase the top places online that you should consider, when you’re looking to purchase it yourself.  These online merchants will normally be your best bet, when you’re looking to save a few extra dollars.

• #1 Consider the college bookstore: Before you even start your hunt online, hop on into your local college bookstore.  The software packages designed solely for students are extremely cheap.  When I was a student, I was able to pick up packages for $10, or less.  The catch here is that you’re going to have to show them your schedule, and most likely your school ID to prove that you’re going there.
• #2 Amazon: I honestly do probably 90% of my shopping online.  Half the times I don’t even compare prices anymore, since Amazon always offers the best prices imaginable.  If you can’t get a hold of a student discount, I would recommend checking out eBay to see what their prices are for the week.
• #3 NewEgg: The last merchant on my list is NewEgg.  If you haven’t heard of this massive online merchant, they basically specialize in everything electronics.   From video games, to software, you can always find what you’re looking for.   While their prices are pretty close to Amazon’s, I would check them as well to see if the price can be beat.

If you’re finding that these merchants aren’t offering what you want, try price comparison shopping engines such as PriceGrabber.com.   A site like this will compare 100s of merchants and provide you with the best price possible.

As I mentioned at the top, you’re going to need Microsoft Office for sure as a student.  Be price savvy and see what deal that you can find.