Hunting for Bargains

Are you a home schooling parent or a teacher in a school with limited funds, who would like a variety of software for different ages and interests?

Are the brand new, spiffy, memory hogging programs incompatible with your slightly antique computer?

Don't give up, you can still find affordable, quality, educational software for your kids. All you have to do is bargain hunt.

Bargain software doesn't necessarily mean low quality and boring. A lot of good classic titles are being discontinued and sold at dirt cheap prices. Here's the scoop on some of my favorite software bargain sites.

Both 999 Central http://www.999central.com and Unbeatable Deals http://www.unbeatabledeals.com/ are "free" sites. You only pay $5.99 for shipping and handling for each CD-ROM. The only drawback is these "free" titles usually come in just a protective paper sleeve without a manual. Usually that's not a problem as you can find out everything you need to know from the Read Me file. I've ordered several software titles from both these sites and have never had a problem.

Arcamax, Inc, http://www.arcamax.com/ sells most titles for $7.95 each with no additional shipping charge. They usually come packaged in a jewel box. Sometimes Arcamax will advertise "free" software for a small shipping charge. The charge varies by title, but it runs around $4. Mac compatible titles are listed in a separate category, Mac users be sure to browse the general categories anyway. I found a few more Mac titles which weren't listed in the Mac section. I am very pleased with Arcamax's selection and service.

Software Outlet http://www.softwareoutlet.com/ and Purplus http://store.yahoo.com/purplus/ sell the majority of their software in the retail boxes. While this adds to the cost of shipping, is also makes the software suitable for gift giving. Both of these companies also have excellent service. I have enjoyed doing business with both.

So how do you make sure you are not spending your money on junk? First, make sure you know your system requirements, especially if you are a PC or Windows user. Some of these software titles predate Windows 98 and/or Windows 95 and may be incompatible with your system. Also check the review sites. I've listed links to several here on this topic site. If you are looking for information on something particular, type in the title plus the word review (Ex. Reader Rabbit Toddler Review) into your favorite search engine. You should come up with several reviews.

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