I'm big on using free or cheap things, when I can, to save money. Here are some things that I've found that work really well.
Money Management:
GnuCash - Don't buy Quicken, unless you REAAAAAALY need it. If you don't know what you need, then chances are that this will work well for you. It's really robust too. The only thing it lacks is download capability from your bank account. You can get around that by exporting from the account itself, and importing into the program. I have this installed on my laptop.
Image Manipulation:
GIMP - This is a free image manipulation software. It works really well. Drawing polygons, ovals, and lines works differently in this program, but you can get used to it. Hey! It's free!
Drum Machine:
Hydrogen - This is a really good program. I sequenced the drums for James Hall's
What He's Done For Me, and TD Jakes
He Does All Things Well, with this program. It worked great!
Music Recording/Sequencing:
Audacity - You can't go wrong with this program! It's a track-based recorder. Download the beta version. I like that one better.
Office Suite:
OpenOffice - Probably the BEST free office suite there is! It'll even open and manipulate MS Office 2007 documents. All the programs export to PDF, but the Presentation application will even export in Flash! Sweet.
Document/Calendar Collaboration:
Google Documents - Google provides basic word-processing, slide editing, and spreadsheet software online!!! The best thing: you can share it with your friends and collaborate online! Sweet! OpenOffice also has a plugin that will let you work with your Google Documents offline!
Operating System:
Ubuntu - If you're like me: tired of Windows crashing all the time, and you don't mind trying something new, download Ubuntu. You can burn it to a disk and test it without messing up your Windows install. If you know someone that only uses their computer to check email, surf the net, and maybe do some word processing, Ubuntu would be a good match. Try it! What will it hurt? Also, there is a lot of free software (games, children and learning software, etc.) available, which you can install easily using the built-in application installation software. Just browse through the library and click install!
Bible Software:
Xiphos - This program works just as well as many other Bible software applications. I use this one also.
CD Burning:
Infrarecorder - If you don't already have CD burning software on your computer, try this out. It works really well.
Graphing Calculator:
Graphcalc - I don't use this one as much, but this is also a good program, if you're a student.
Vector Drawing:
Inkscape - If you do vector drawing, this program might work for you. It has some quirks, but it might beat paying more money for Adobe Illustrator.
2D Animation:
Pencil - I've never used Pencil, so you'll have to gauge its usefulness for yourself. It's basically a program that allows you to take vector or handdrawn images and convert them into animation--I think. It looks pretty good, and it works on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Clothes/Furniture: Ebay/Goodwill/Salvation Army - Yep. It may not be good for your image, but you can really find some good stuff in there, if you take the time to look. Not everything is trash. We get some of our kids clothes from second-hand stores. You can find toys, dishes and other things there too. Ebay even has bulk lots that you can purchase. I've seen Oshkosh and other name brand items sold in bulk on Ebay. It's also a good way to make some money from items you no longer need.
Lyrics/Scripture Projection:
Easislides - We used this at my last church. It works really well. There is also one called
Openlp. I haven't tested it before, but it may be good too.
Music Theory/Ear Training Software:
GnuSolfege - This is probably the best music theory software out there. I haven't seen anything better, at least. Check it out.
Do you guys have any money-saving tips? It doesn't have to deal with computers.