Use the advice presented in this article to be able to gain some financial stability without sacrificing the quality of your student life.
It is not a secret that programs and computer games cost a lot. Of course, we do not talk about pirated applications which are considered illegal. This article focuses only on licensed software and the opportunities it provides for saving money.
Upon entering an educational institution a student inevitably faces several problems with software as working on a computer seems to be an indispensable part of the learning process. The problem is, people want to get access to quality sources by paying a moderate amount of money. Indeed, googling “do my homework” and getting the platform that can perform all the work for you is perhaps the biggest desire of students. But how to find a proper set of programs and services for a reasonable price?
Everyone wants to save on the purchase of licensed programs. But not every buyer can effectively optimize their costs. Nevertheless, there are some general rules, adhering to which you can significantly reduce your costs of purchasing licensed programs. Let’s try to consider the most effective ones!
1. Purchase software at sales
Large online retailers often run sales with or without a particular reason. For example, it is profitable to buy programs on the eve of some holidays – New Year, Christmas, and other special periods. There are also options to use large Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. Indeed, you can save a decent amount – up to 5-10% on new programs, and up to 70% discounts on “old” ones.
Apart from sales, you can get a discount using promo codes. These are special code words allowing one to purchase a product with a discount. You can often find them in advertisements created by Internet bloggers. In case you are a regular customer of a particular company you have a chance of receiving special offers from time to time.
Large stores offer exclusive discounts that are only available to their subscribers. In order not to clutter up your main mail, it is worth creating a special mailbox. After that, you can safely register on the site and wait for interesting offers.
2. Do not forget that you are a student
Being a student automatically means having the opportunity to save money in several spheres – from the usage of transport to visiting cultural places. The only thing needed is to produce a document confirming your status.
Microsoft, for example, also has student discounts. Schoolchildren, students, and even teachers and educators are eligible for a free Microsoft Office 365 subscription. A nice bonus you can get is the space in OneDrive for having access to documents that you can work with from anywhere. Students of programming can even download the Visual Studio development environment for free on the company’s official website.
Apart from that, universities often cooperate with large companies. Most of them allow free access to a particular platform during the educational period.
3. Choose a correct version of a program
Sometimes people waste money due to their reluctance to consider the problem in detail and understand it. But remember – rushing never leads to a good result. When choosing software, you must clearly understand which tasks you want it to solve. Indeed, very often a “light” version is sufficient for effective work, while a “professional” one is unnecessary. Of course, the “light” versions are much cheaper than the ones fully upgraded.
Despite the existing opinions, it is not always profitable to purchase the latest version of the application. In the process of using it, you might have to purchase updates additionally. At the same time, not only is the cost of the previous version lower but also the work is much more stable.
4. Optimize your needs
This recommendation has a lot to do with the previous one. An option that you can refer to is optimizing your needs. This way you can use legal programs, applications, and software for which there is no need to pay.
The following steps are required:
- Determining programs, applications, and tools that are necessary to perform your tasks.
- Finding free or cheaper alternatives. There are programs that can replace expensive software without risks and performance damage.
Optimizing software allows a student to save money without risk and avoid breaking the law. Moreover, this is the choice of people who think about costs and the effectiveness of their work.
5. Always use the trial period
Why not use the trial option offered by a company itself? If you think trial periods aren’t advantageous, you have never tried them. Before purchasing any application, you need to make sure that it is indispensable for you.
As a rule, large IT companies provide trial periods for their customers. During this time you can use the software legally and for free. It usually lasts from a month to three. This period is sufficient to understand whether you need to buy the product.
6. Consider software rental
Subscription to the monthly use of the necessary software is a popular option to save money. This helps you save on the implementation of a new system and the purchase of the necessary equipment. Such a model of software usage is called Software as a Service (SaaS).
The only thing you have to consider when renting programs is that any updates and additions will require additional payment. Owners of licensed versions are usually provided with free regular updates from the developer.
7. Avoid using software with similar functions
Sometimes people clutter up their computers with piles of programs that serve the same functions. It is recommended to delete those which you don’t use regularly. There is no doubt that at least half of the programs on your device can be dropped.
Final words
Who doesn’t like to save money? Do such people exist? When it comes to students, these are people who constantly look for benefits and special offers. Why spend large sums of money on software when there are easy ways of saving? Use the advice presented in this article to be able to gain some financial stability without sacrificing the quality of your student life.
Main photo by Damir Spanic on Unsplash
TravelDailyNews Asia-Pacific editorial team has an experience of over 35 years in B2B travel journalism as well as in tourism & hospitality marketing and communications.
