Microsoft Talk

Top Tech Tips to Consider This Festive Season

Microsoft Office shares tips for those watching their pennies this December.

A recent holiday consumer study revealed that consumers may be changing their spending this season:1

• Two out of three Americans admit they will consider spending less on family and friends this year than they did last year.

• Nearly half will give one large family gift as opposed to many smaller individual items.

• Nearly three-fourths of Americans will give gifts that provide their family and friends with entertainment while staying home.

Money-saving options are available for families that are demanding more from their personal technology, such as creating greeting cards or family photo albums at home, or tracking and organizing finances using the latest software. Holiday shoppers who are looking for quality at a low price will find that Microsoft Office Home and Student (http://www.office.microsoft.com) offers the latest essential software for $149.95 (estimated retail price). The suite enables families and students to be more productive and connected, while keeping family members’ computers up to date.

For consumers who are planning a list for family gift items and checking it twice, here are a few tips from Justin Hutchinson, Microsoft Office director of product management:

Technology tools that help you be efficient in managing your life in 2009 are a “need to have,” not a “nice to have.”

• Keep holiday spending under control using the Office Excel “Holiday budget planner” template, (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/TC102881741033.aspx?CategoryID=CT102566591033).

• Multitasking aided by technology extends most people’s day by several hours. The 24-hour day is a thing of the past. So how can your family make the most of these extended hours so that leisure time with family still takes top priority? Start by using Office to get organized (http://www.microsoft.com/video/en/us/details/a0893f0f-5d15-4b5b-b3c9-4192d28efa51), craft a family vacation photo album (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/TC102512921033.aspx?pid=CT102530791033), create a family calendar (http://blogs.msdn.com/inside_office_online/archive/2008/12/04/how-to-know-what-day-it-is-with-a-free-calendar.aspx) and more.

• Your kids plus your spouse plus you equals Family 2.0. Keep your tech-savvy family connected and get more out of your copy of Office by using Office Live Workspace to share and collaborate (http://www.workspace.officelive.com).

• Look for investments in items that make sense for your family. At $149.95 estimated retail price,2 Microsoft Office Home and Student is cheaper than a few nights out on the town. Now that’s a deal. Microsoft Office software is available online at http://office.microsoft.com or at retailers. And check for specials. For example, The Ultimate Steal is a great gift for the higher-ed “kids” in your life: http://www.TheUltimateSteal.com.

• And you can’t beat free, right? Microsoft offers hundreds of holiday templates from Microsoft for invitations, gift labels, place settings, menus, thank you notes and more (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/default.aspx). One of my personal favorites is the “Snowball Fight” stationery for the annual family “brag letter” (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/TC102447961033.aspx?CategoryID=CT102566591033).